Nigeria, July 26 -- Suicide bombings, mass kidnappings, tens of thousands of people killed. A ghastly insurgency by the homegrown Islamic extremist group Boko Haram marks 10 years this week in northeastern Nigeria, where many residents say life has been set back by decades.

"It feels like 100 years, because everything seems to be moving slowly and not getting any better for me and my family," said Hassan Mamman, who fled to Maiduguri, the region's main city, after Boko Haram attacks on his rural home. He is among millions of people displaced. "I miss my community and always crave it but the merchants of death just won't let us have that much-needed peace."

Friday marks a decade since Nigerian forces clashed with the extremists at Maidug...