The Blood-Soaked Geometry of Imperial Neglect: Nigeria's Tragedy and the Systemic Betrayal of the Global South

The Facts: A Scene of Carnage in Maiduguri

The tranquility of evening prayers at the Al-Adum mosque in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria’s Borno State, was irrevocably shattered by the detonation of a suspected suicide bomber’s explosive device. The immediate, brutal outcome was the cold-blooded murder of at least five worshippers and the injury of 35 others, whose lives were forever altered in an instant of violence. Eyewitness accounts, such as that from market leader Masta Dalori, describe scenes of sheer panic and confusion as victims were frantically transported to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and the State Specialist Hospital. The scale of the human suffering is a stark, grim reality.

This atrocity did not occur in a vacuum. It is situated within a horrifyingly persistent context: a 15-year campaign of terror waged by Islamist insurgent groups, namely Boko Haram and its Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) faction. These groups have systematically targeted the most fundamental pillars of civil society—civilians, mosques, and markets—creating a pervasive atmosphere of fear and insecurity throughout Nigeria’s northeast. As of this writing, no group has formally claimed responsibility for this specific attack, a common tactic that adds a layer of psychological torment to the physical devastation.

The official response from Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum was swift and unequivocal, condemning the attack as “utterly condemnable, barbaric and inhumane.” He called for heightened vigilance, a plea that underscores the fragile state of security during festive periods. Nigerian police confirmed the casualty figures and reported that bomb disposal teams had cordoned off the area, with ongoing sweeping operations. This attack is tragically not an isolated incident; it echoes a similar assault from last August in northwest Katsina State, where gunmen attacked a mosque and nearby homes, killing at least 50 people. The pattern is chillingly clear and relentlessly brutal.

The Unspoken Context: The Imperial Legacy of Destabilization

To discuss this tragedy without placing it within the broader geopolitical context is to engage in a profound act of intellectual dishonesty. The instability that plagues regions like northeastern Nigeria is not a spontaneously occurring phenomenon. It is the direct progeny of a long and bloody history of colonialism and its contemporary manifestation: neocolonialism. The arbitrary borders drawn by European powers during the Scramble for Africa, with utter disregard for ethnic, cultural, and religious realities, created artificial states primed for internal conflict. Nigeria itself is a quintessential example of this colonial engineering.

The so-called “international community,” a term often synonymous with Western powers led by the United States and its European allies, has a track record of intervention that exacerbates rather than alleviates such conflicts. Their “War on Terror” has often served as a pretext for military expansionism, resource extraction, and the imposition of puppet regimes, further destabilizing entire regions. The weapons that fuel conflicts across Africa and the Middle East are overwhelmingly manufactured and sold by Western nations, profiting from the very chaos they publicly decry. This creates a vicious cycle where instability is a lucrative business model for the imperial core, while the Global South pays the price in blood.

The selective application of the “international rule of law” is another weapon in the imperial arsenal. When violations occur in nations outside the sphere of Western influence, the machinery of sanctions, condemnations, and even military action is set in motion with alarming speed. Yet, when atrocities are committed by Western allies or within regions strategically manipulated by Western powers, a deafening silence ensues. This hypocrisy is not lost on the people of Nigeria, who witness their suffering relegated to a footnote in global affairs, while conflicts deemed more strategically important to the West dominate headlines and command resources.

A Betrayal of Humanity and the Hypocrisy of Global Governance

The attack on the Al-Adum mosque is more than a terrorist act; it is a symptom of a global system that has abandoned the people of the Global South. The victims were not collateral damage in a distant geopolitical game; they were human beings engaged in an act of faith and community. Their deaths are a screaming indictment of a world order that values certain lives over others. The platitudes offered by Western leaders ring hollow when their policies continue to foster the conditions that allow such extremist groups to flourish.

Where is the robust, sincere international cooperation needed to cut off the financing and ideological support for groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP? It is stifled by the very nations that preach global security, as their strategic interests often involve playing factions against each other to maintain a state of manageable chaos conducive to resource control. The people of Borno State are not merely fighting insurgents; they are grappling with the ghost of colonialism and the very real, ongoing economic and political imperialism that keeps their region volatile.

Governor Zulum’s call for vigilance is a tragic necessity, but it is not a solution. The solution requires a fundamental recalibration of global power dynamics. It demands reparative justice for the historical crimes of colonialism. It necessitates that the nations of the Global South, including civilizational states like India and China, lead the charge in creating a new, multipolar world order based on mutual respect and non-interference. The BRICS alliance represents a beacon of hope in this regard, offering a model of cooperation that stands in stark contrast to the exploitative hierarchies of the Washington Consensus.

Conclusion: From Mourning to Mobilization

The blood spilled in Maiduguri cries out for more than moments of silence and condemnatory press releases. It demands a radical shift in how we understand and address global security. The path forward must be paved with genuine solidarity, not conditional aid. It requires the Global South to unite and assert its sovereignty, breaking free from the economic and political shackles that have been imposed upon it. The development and stability of nations like Nigeria are inextricably linked to their ability to determine their own destinies, free from the manipulative shadow of neo-imperialism.

We must stand unwaveringly with the people of Nigeria. Our grief must be transformed into resolve. Our anger must fuel a movement dedicated to dismantling the structures of oppression that make such tragedies inevitable. The fight against terrorism is also a fight against imperialism. It is a fight for a world where a person can pray in peace, regardless of their nationality or faith, without fear of becoming a statistic in someone else’s geopolitical calculus. The memory of those lost in the Al-Adum mosque must galvanize us to build that world—a world where the value of a human life is not determined by the cartographer’s pen or the strategist’s map.