Civil Society in the shadows of Nigeria’s Core Conflicts International and Media Engagement in the Boko Haram Insurgency – Bosede AWODOLA, PhD The paper titled‘The Role of Civil society in Nigeria’s Core Conflicts: Boko Haram Insurgency’ is well written, and the objectives are clearly set out. It is organized in six(6) sections: the introduction, conceptualizing civil society, the evolution and causes of the Boko Haram(BH) insurgency, Civil Society Organizations(CSOs) in peacebuilding and conflict management in the insurgency-affected states, interactions between the security sector and civil society, and the conclusion and recommendations. Mu ch of the paper’s strength is derived from the methodology, which combines primary and secondary data. The paper offers important insights that makes a good contribution to the vast literature on the insurgency in North­eastern Nigeria. First, its historicization of BH insurgency is novel, especially the suggestion of internationalization of the conflict from the beginning. The paper gives due attention to the role of Ammi Hassan, an Algerian and his son, Ali Hassan who were banished by Algerian government due to alleged connection with Al-Qaeda, got expelled from Niger but subsequently made entry into Nigeria. This historic turn touches on an important aspect of internal security, which is the porosity of the national borders and the disdainful disregard for early warning. The arrival of the duo in Nigeria may not have gone unnoticed by the security agencies. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Nigeria| 163