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Fighting among competing insurgent groups in northeast Nigeria has resulted in approximately 200 fatalities in the troubled Lake Chad region, as reported by intelligence and militia sources to AFP on Monday.
Conflict erupted on Sunday in Dogon Chiku, located along the shores of Lake Chad, between Boko Haram and rival militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), marking another instance of infighting driven by territorial disputes and ideological differences.
A former Boko Haram member, who has disavowed violence but tracks insurgency in the area, said that “around 200 ISWAP fighters lost their lives in the confrontations,” along with numerous weapons captured. A Nigerian intelligence official in the vicinity estimated that more than 150 people were killed as they monitored the aftermath of the conflicts.
Since they split in 2016, Boko Haram and ISWAP have engaged in a lethal competition for territory, predominantly focusing their clashes around Lake Chad. A recent violent confrontation between the factions of Boko Haram, known as Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunna lid-Da‘wa wa’l-Jihād (JAS), and ISWAP led to the reported deaths of over 50 fighters at Toumbun Gini, an island community in Borno State’s Abadam Local Government Area.
Security Analyst and a counterinsurgency expert in West Africa, Zagazola Makama, also confirmed that the engagement took place on Sunday afternoon at around 3 p.m., following an attempted offensive by ISWAP militants.
According to the sources, ISWAP mobilised combatants using ten high-powered boats and began an attack aimed at recapturing the island, which was believed to have recently come under JAS control. However, intelligence reached the JAS leadership before the assault, allowing them to prepare a counter-ambush.
At precisely 1500 hours, ISWAP’s boats landed, and what was intended to be a surprise attack rapidly transformed into a deadly trap. The opening shots were definitive, and JAS fighters swiftly overwhelmed ISWAP within minutes, leading to their retreat,” the source said.
The source further indicated that several ISWAP fighters were killed in the ambush, along with seven of their boats being seized, while three vessels managed to escape with injuries. Clips purportedly depicting the aftermath were shared online on Sunday.
Zagazola described this clash as the fifth day of intensified competition between the two insurgent factions, who have been contending for territorial supremacy and control over resources within the Lake Chad islands.
The continued assaults by JAS against ISWAP could push the remaining fighters deeper into mainland communities along Kukawa, Monguno, and Marte LGAs, raising security threats for both civilians and security forces.
However, this rivalry has weakened both groups, diminishing their capacity for organised large-scale offensives. Nevertheless, this fragmentation also introduces a new challenge: smaller, less predictable units that are more difficult to track.
