![]() According to ACLED data, these militias killed more than 2,600 civilians in 2021, an increase of over 250% compared with 2020. Operating from ungoverned forests in Nigeria, these groups mostly engage in cattle rustling, kidnapping for ransom, and pillaging of villages ( Al Jazeera, 6 January 2022 ). In 2021, organized political violence perpetrated by these militias increased by 50% compared to 2020, with 30% of militia activity occurring in Kaduna state. P olitical violence involving militias, often labeled as ‘bandits,’ started in Zamfara state in 2011 and then over time spilled into neighboring states ( Daily Trust, 10 September 2021 ). communal militia activity constituted nearly one-third of all organized political violence events recorded by ACLED across the country in 2021. This underscores a trend of militant expansion to territories in which they had largely not been present previously.Įlsewhere, in Nigeria’s north-central and northwest regions, 2 More specifically, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states. In November, the Niger local government confirmed the presence of Islamist militants in Shioro and Rafi local government areas (LGAs), as well as Borgu LGA near the border with Benin ( Premium Times, 24 November 2021 ). The militants have been reported to establish camps in the state, thus expanding their operations to areas closer to the Federal Capital Territory. While the Boko Haram insurgency has been traditionally concentrated in the northeast, particularly in Borno state, reports point to ISWAP and JAS militants overrunning several communities in Niger state in 2021 ( VOA, 3 October 2021 ). His death, however, was not confirmed by ISWAP ( BBC News, 14 October 2021 ). In October, the Nigerian military also announced the death of the ISWAP leader, Abu Musab Al Barnawi. At the same time, IS WAP has been consolidating its grip in locations around Lake Chad, despite pockets of resistance from residual JAS faction fighters. According to the government, over 15,000 Boko Haram militants had surrendered to the military by November 2021 ( The Guardian, 12 November 2021). Following his death, dozens of JAS faction fighters pledged allegiance to ISWAP ( Reuters, 28 June 2021), while thousands surrendered to military forces in the subsequent months ( New York Times, 23 September 2021 ). In May, Abubakar Shekau, the JAS faction leader, was killed during fighting with ISWAP militants in Sambisa Forest, reportedly by detonating his suicide vest ( BBC News, 7 June 2021 ). In 2021, clashes escalated between Boko Haram (JAS) 1 Jamaatu Ahli is-Sunnah lid-Dawati wal-Jihad and its splinter faction, ISWAP Lake Chad, in a rivalry over supremacy and control of territory in northeast Nigeria and around Lake Chad. While ACLED records an overall decrease in the number of events involving Islamist militants in 2021 relative to 2020, there was still a significant spike in militant activity, and violence has persisted and continued to evolve. ![]() His government has failed to do so, however ( BBC News, 12 June 2021 ), with Islamist militants linked to more than 18% of all organized political violence in the country last year. In 2015, when Muhammadu Buhari was elected as the new Nigerian president, he pledged to put an end to the Boko Haram insurgency ( New York Times, 14 April 2015 ). The threat posed by Islamist militants in the northeast shifted in 2021 and persisted, despite ongoing military operations to counter the insurgency, with the Islamic State West Africa (ISWAP) Lake Chad faction gaining more power and influence ( New York Times, 15 October 2021 ). The violence resulted in over 9,900 reported fatalities, nearly a 30% increase compared to 2020. During 2021, ACLED records a 22% increase in the number of organized political violence events in Nigeria. ![]() While a long-running Islamist insurgency and ongoing militia activity, often labeled as ‘banditry,’ continue to impact the northern regions, the Biafra separatist rebellion has been a cause of unrest in the south. Nigeria continues to confront multiple security threats across its territory, with insecurity deepening in northern and southern parts of the country.
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