Nigerian troopers at a checkpoint in Gwoza, Nigeria, a city liberated from Boko Haram. File | Photo Credit: AP
Fighting between Boko Haram and rival militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group broke out in Dogon Chiku on the shores of Lake Chad on Sunday (November 9, 2025), within the newest bout of infighting for territorial management fuelled by ideological rifts.
“From the toll we got, around 200 ISWAP terrorists were killed in the fight,” Babakura Kolo, a member of an anti-jihadist militia aiding the Nigerian army, informed AFP.
A former Boko Haram jihadist, who has since renounced violence however follows jihadist actions within the area, additionally mentioned “around 200 ISWAP fighters were killed in the clashes”, with a number of of their weapons seized.
Boko Haram misplaced 4 fighters within the battle, based on the previous militant, who requested to be recognized solely by his first title, Saddiku.
“This could be the worst clash between the two groups since they began attacking each other,” mentioned Mr. Saddiku, who lives in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, the epicentre of the insurgency.
Short video clips seen by AFP seem to point out a number of lifeless our bodies in canoes, with a few of the vessels flooded with bloody water.
A Nigerian intelligence supply working within the area mentioned they have been following the aftermath of the clashes, estimating that they “killed more than 150”.
“We are aware of the fighting which is good news to us,” the intelligence supply mentioned.
ISWAP and Boko Haram have been locked in a lethal battle for territorial management since their break up in 2016 over ideological variations, with a lot of the combating going down round Lake Chad.
The freshwater lake, which straddles Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad, serves as a sanctuary for each Boko Haram and ISWAP, from which each launch assaults throughout the 4 nations.
2016 splinter
ISWAP, which claims allegiance to the Islamic State group, has risen to prominence since splintering off from Boko Haram in 2016.
Both factions have fought for dominance since, resulting in the demise of Boko Haram chief Abubakar Shekau throughout clashes in his Sambisa forest hideout in May 2021.
Some Boko Haram fighters joined ISWAP to keep away from execution, others surrendered to Nigerian troops whereas the remainder fled to islands on the Niger facet of Lake Chad below the management of Shekau’s successor, Bakura Buduma.
In one of many largest flare-ups, a September 2021 raid by Boko Haram on the ISWAP-controlled Kirta-Wulgo island led to weeks of back-and-forth combating between the 2 militias.
Boko Haram has since succeeded in pushing ISWAP out of most of Lake Chad, which the 2 teams covet as a refuge from army assaults and an enormous income from fishing, farming, herding and logging.
Nigeria’s jihadist battle has killed greater than 40,000 individuals and displaced round two million within the predominantly Muslim northeast because it erupted in 2009.
The violence has spilt into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting the creation of a regional army power to combat the jihadists.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened army intervention in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, over what he calls the “killing of Christians” by radical Islamists.
Published – November 10, 2025 10:05 pm IST
