A renewed spate of infighting between Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and a stepped up onslaught by the Nigerian military against armed militant groups is bringing about a significant degrading of the insurgency in Northern-Eastern Nigeria and environs.
The development is further increasing the number of insurgents surrendering to the Nigerian military and freeing up captive territory for a return to normal life, proper governance and productive economic activity.
On Friday, Boko Haram insurgents were dislodged from their hideouts in Zamfara State, following bombardment by the military. They reportedly abducted upwards of 60 children, farmers and random others in an escape bid.
Although police authorities are yet to confirm the incident, it was reported that that the terrorists had come under heavy military bombardment in Zamfara, leading to the death of over 100 of their members.
Some security sources said they believed the abductions were made to dissuade pursuit by the military. The fleeing insurgents vacated territory which they had previously held.
Weeks back, 443 repentant Boko Haram terrorists and their families reportedly surrendered to the Nigerian Army in Borno State.
This followed their escape from a sustained attack by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the state. A counter-insurgency expert in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, told the Vanguard Newspaper in Maiduguri that the rivalry clashes raised the death toll to 300 among the two terror groups.
According to him, 223 Boko Haram terrorists and families surrendered to the troops of Sector Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) between March 7 to 10, 2023 in Diffa and Gueskerou in Niger.
Besides, he added: “220 Boko Haram members also surrendered to the troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) on March 10, 2023.
“The terrorists confessed that the ongoing rivalry between the two factions had forced them to escape to safer areas.”
Since February 27, 2023, Boko Haram had been fleeing their enclaves amidst deadly attacks targeted at the groups at Gaizuwa, in the Mantari-Gabchari-Kashimiri-Maimusari axis of Bama Local Council.
Makama further disclosed that other Boko Haram hideouts included Yale axis in Konduga and Magumeri Local Councils of the state.
He noted that the Government of Niger through its Public Relations Information Directorate, said: “This week was marked by massive displacement of terrorists’ families by relocating from the Sambisa Forest to Lake Chad region, bordering Niger Republic.
The Director, Defense Media Operations of Nigeria’s Defense Headquarters, Maj-Gen. Musa Danmadami, stated that 1, 332 terrorists and their family members surrendered to the Army in the previous weeks.
He attributed the increasing surrenders to continuous deadly rivalry between Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terror groups.
He noted that the continuous rivalry between the terror groups could shape the dynamics of the counter-insurgency operations in the Lake Chad region.
Weeks earlier, about 100 of the insurgents, including their family members surrendered to troops of the Operation Hadin Kai Theatre Command, in Banki and Konduga Local Government Areas of Borno State.
It was reported that they surrendered due to the sustained onslaught on their hideouts by the troops as well as the Boko Haram-ISWAP infighting.
Two jihadist groups have for weeks been engaged in deadly clashes in their northeast Nigeria strongholds according to security sources and residents.
They have also been fighting against rival jihadists from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group, who emerged in 2016.
Clashes initially started over ideological differences, with ISWAP -which emerged from a schism in Boko Haram- objecting to the latter’s indiscriminate killings of Muslims.
Fighting has escalated in recent weeks especially at Gerere and Juma’a Toro villages on the fringes of the Lake Chad in Abadam district near the border with Niger, an area where both groups assert influence, AFP reports.
“We are aware of the fighting going on between the terrorists which is good for us, so we are just watching and keeping an eye on how it unfolds,” a Nigerian intelligence source told AFP.
“It is hard to give a toll from both sides but the numbers are indeed huge. We are talking of more than 200 dead in Juma’a Toro alone,” said the source, who asked not to be identified.
Fishermen on the islands of Lake Chad said they could hear sounds of explosions and heavy gunfire from Gerere and Juma’a Toro.
The Lake Chad basin, which stretches its shores between Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad, is a vast stretch of water, islands and swamps where jihadists hide.
“The fighting is quite intense. We hear loud explosions as the fighting rages especially at night,” a fisherman told AFP.
“From the snippets we are getting, the fighting may go on for a while.”
