For a town known as "home of peace", Maiduguri, the capital of Borno in northern Nigeria, is seeing a lot of violence. It stands at the centre of an insurgency by Boko Haram, an Islamist outfit trying to establish a caliphate, and its fate is being closely watched in Western capitals. Several towns in the state, including Gwoza and Bama, are now under the insurgents' control. Maiduguri, home to as many as 2m people, seems to be their ultimate target. Recent attacks have been directed at Konduga, a town roughly 35km (22 miles) outside the city. "The only route going into and out of Borno now is the Mai-duguri-Kano road," says one Western embassy official. The other main roads to the capital are controlled by militants.
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