Rival extremist groups Boko Haram and ISWAP have reportedly engaged in a lethal internal conflict within the Sambisa Forest, with intelligence suggesting that nearly 100 ISWAP fighters were killed in a recent clash.
Renewed violent clashes between rival terror groups Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have broken out deep within the Sambisa Forest and surrounding areas of Borno State. Security analyst Zagazola Makama disclosed the development on Saturday, citing intelligence gathered from insurgent enclaves. The latest insights into the conflict reportedly stem from an intercepted conversation between a Boko Haram fighter identified as Ba Musa, operating in the Bama Local Government Area, and an associate known as “Ya Kazalla.” The exchange, which took place on Thursday, highlights the volatile internal narratives and power struggles currently shaping the region’s insurgency.
According to the report, the conversation centered on disputing claims of ISWAP superiority in recent engagements. While ISWAP had reportedly claimed significant victories, Musa insisted that Boko Haram had instead inflicted devastating losses on their rivals. He specifically alleged that approximately 100 ISWAP fighters were killed during a major confrontation on April 29 within the Sambisa Forest. Musa further noted that an additional seven ISWAP members were neutralized in a separate clash in the Molai forested area of Konduga Local Government Area, while Boko Haram reportedly suffered only a single casualty, a fighter named Munzir.
While these claims remain difficult to verify independently, they underscore an intensifying parallel conflict that continues to rage alongside the groups’ broader insurgency against the Nigerian state. Experts note that these internal skirmishes often lead to significant disruptions in command structures and high body counts on both sides. Makama observed that the growing rivalry has become a defining feature of the security landscape in the Northeast, as both factions vie for territorial dominance and influence within the dwindling extremist strongholds of the Sambisa axis.
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