The militant group Boko Haram has wrecked havoc on northeastern Nigeria, where it has killed thousands in a brutal war. The group now controls territory the size of Belgium and is even targeting Nigeria’s neighbor, Cameroon. It has also launched a daring attack on the city of Maiduguri, Nigeria.

The group first gained widespread international attention in 2014, when it abducted hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria. CCTV Africa’s Deji Badmus reported this story from Lagos, Nigeria.

The Heat interviewed a panel of experts about Boko Haram’s escalating militant violence in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• Akinola Davies, a dual-citizen of Nigeria and London and an organizer with the organization Nigerian Lives Matter.
• Adotei Akwei, managing director for government relations at Amnesty International and an expert on conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Heat also interviewed a panel of experts about Boko Haram’s attacks:

• Raymond Gilpin, academic dean at the U.S. Defense Department’s African Center for Strategic Studies in Washington D.C.
• John Campbell, a former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria.