H. Res. 53 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
March 23, 2015. 
Whereas on the night of January 3, 2015, the terrorist group 
Boko Haram launched a horrific attack on innocent men, 
women, and children in the northeastern Nigerian town 
of Baga; 
Whereas the terrorists of Boko Haram used assault rifles, 
grenade launchers, and fire to slaughter innocent civilians 
and the scope of casualties in this one attack totals in 
the hundreds and possibly thousands; 
Whereas some nongovernmental organizations have described 
the attack in Baga as the terrorist group’s ‘‘deadliest 
massacre’’ to date; 
Whereas Nigerian security forces have been largely unable to 
prevent Boko Haram’s territorial advances in the north-
east since July 2014; 
Whereas human rights groups have indicated that the Nige-
rian state security forces should improve efforts to pro-
tect civilians during offensive operations against Boko 
Haram; 
Whereas this Islamist terrorist group, designated as a United 
States Foreign Terrorist Organization in November 
2013, has killed over 5,000 people in Nigeria in 2014 
alone and displaced over 1,000,000 innocent people;
•HRES 53 EH 
Whereas Boko Haram has launched attacks in the neigh-
boring countries of Cameroon, Niger, and Chad; 
Whereas Boko Haram’s leadership has voiced support for and 
received some funding and training from other Islamist 
terrorist groups, such as al Qaeda and its affiliates, and 
has recently embraced propaganda tactics similar to the 
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL); 
Whereas Boko Haram’s leadership pledged official allegiance 
to ISIL, which ISIL has publicly accepted; 
Whereas Boko Haram has abducted hundreds of civilians, 
using women and children as slaves, subjecting them to 
sexual abuse, and deploying them as suicide bombers, 
and forcibly recruiting boys as child soldiers; 
Whereas Boko Haram has threatened to disrupt the Nigerian 
elections and attacks such as the one in Baga may result 
in many Nigerians being unable to vote in the upcoming 
national elections; 
Whereas election-related violence in Nigeria has occurred in 
successive elections, including in 2011, when nearly 800 
people died and some 65,000 were displaced in clashes 
following the presidential election; 
Whereas President Goodluck Jonathan, Major General (re-
tired) Muhammadu Buhari, and other presidential can-
didates signed the ‘‘Abuja Accord’’ on January 14, 2015, 
committing themselves and their campaigns to refrain 
from public statements that incite violence, to run on 
issue-based platforms that do not seek to divide citizens 
along religious or ethnic lines, and to support the impar-
tial conduct of the electoral commission and the security 
services;
•HRES 53 EH 
Whereas Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to Nigeria 
on January 25, 2015, to emphasize the importance of en-
suring the upcoming elections are peaceful, nonviolent, 
and credible; 
Whereas Nigeria was scheduled to hold national elections on 
February 14, 2015, but the elections were postponed for 
6 weeks and are now scheduled for March 28, 2015; 
Whereas political tensions in the country are high, and either 
electoral fraud or violence could undermine the credibility 
of the upcoming election; 
Whereas Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy, biggest oil pro-
ducer, and most populous nation, making it an influential 
country in the region; and 
Whereas Nigeria is an important partner of the United 
States and it is in the best interest of the United States 
to maintain close ties with Nigeria: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) expresses its strong support for the people of 
Nigeria, especially the men, women, and children in 
northeastern Nigeria, including the town of Baga, who 
have been terrorized, abducted, trafficked, and murdered 
by the terrorist group Boko Haram; 
(2) condemns Boko Haram for its violent attacks 
on civilian targets, including schools, mosques, churches, 
villages, and markets in Nigeria; 
(3) expresses concern about the possibility of an ex-
panded relationship between Boko Haram and ISIL in 
light of Boko Haram’s pledge of allegiance to ISIL;
•HRES 53 EH 
(4) encourages the Government of Nigeria to 
strengthen efforts to protect civilians from the terrorists 
of Boko Haram, including through cooperation with 
neighboring countries and other international actors; 
(5) urges all political candidates to uphold the com-
mitments outlined in the ‘‘Abuja Accord’’ and the Gov-
ernment of Nigeria to hold their elections without fur-
ther delay on March 28, 2015; 
(6) remains committed to protecting democratic 
principles and universal human rights worldwide; 
(7) supports United States assistance to the Gov-
ernment of Nigeria to combat Boko Haram and search 
for those who have been abducted by Boko Haram; and 
(8) applauds the countries of the region and the Af-
rican Union for their efforts to establish a regional secu-
rity force, which will include Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Cam-
eroon, and Benin, to combat Boko Haram and supports 
offers of robust security assistance to strengthen the 
force’s capacity. 
Attest: 
Clerk.