Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, ISWAP, have resumed fighting in Abadam LGA of Borno State, just two weeks after a failed attempt to reconcile both groups.
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The renewed hostilities occurred on Friday, February 14, 2025, near ISWAP camps in Toumbun Gini and Toumbun Ali, according to counterinsurgency expert Zagazola Makama. He reported via X that ISWAP suffered heavy casualties in the battle, which took place on the waterways of the Lake Chad Basin.
Makama warned that the conflict could escalate further, potentially spreading into Kukawa LGA, where Boko Haram fighters have continued their offensive against ISWAP.
This is not the first time the two factions have clashed in the region. The rivalry dates back to 2016, when ISWAP broke away from Boko Haram after ideological disagreements. The split followed Boko Haram’s 2015 pledge of allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) under its then-leader, Abubakar Shekau. However, internal divisions led some key figures, including Habib Yusuf, the son of Boko Haram’s founder Mohammed Yusuf, to part ways with Shekau and align with ISWAP.
