Lake Chad

ADF STAFF Officials in the Borno state of Nigeria began recording “droves” of defectors from two competing extremist groups in late 2021. The defectors were from Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, also known as ISWAP.…

ADF STAFF As kidnapping for ransom has become a source of income for terrorists and criminals in parts of the Lake Chad Basin, authorities say that several hundred victims remain in captivity. A new report from the Institute for Security…

ADF STAFF Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa, has fond memories of his childhood in Sokoto. “Growing up as a kid in Nigeria, it was so peaceful,” he told the BBC during a video interview released on March 28.…

ADF STAFF Armed groups in Niger have increasingly targeted schools to try to recruit new members and destabilize the country. In 2023, more than 920 schools in the Tillabéri region alone were closed due to security concerns. In the…

ADF STAFF Pressured by anti-militant campaigns in Nigeria, Boko Haram fighters have stepped up their attacks in Cameroon’s Far North region using improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The attacks target military vehicles, but also put…

ADF STAFF Fourteen years into its fight against violent extremist organizations (VEOs) in the Lake Chad Basin, Nigeria is finding success from above, forcing militants to scatter and change tactics. Zagazola Makama, a counterinsurgency…

Maj. Gen. Ibrahim of the Nigerian Army has a military career that spans more than 35 years. He holds a master’s degree in strategic studies from the University of Ibadan and has participated in international peace support operations in…

ADF STAFF Soldiers with the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in early May killed several terrorists and recovered a cache of weapons during an operation near Lake Chad in northeast Nigeria. The operation was launched a week…

ADF STAFF Terrorist groups in the Lake Chad Basin are embracing a mix of off-the-shelf technology, from satellite modems and social media accounts to laptop computers and drones, to augment their recruitment and activities across the…

ADF STAFF More than 200 Boko Haram fighters and some of their commanders surrendered to Nigerian troops after the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched an attack on the rival extremist group in northeast Borno State. It…