ISWAP–Boko Haram War Escalates in Lake Chad Basin as Rival Factions Battle for Strategic Control
The Lake Chad Basin is experiencing a fresh escalation of jihadist hostilities as Boko Haram’s Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) intensify their struggle for dominance across strategic island settlements in Abadam and Kukawa Local Government Areas of Borno State.
Security sources familiar with the situation learnt that the latest clashes erupted between November 5 and 8, 2025, spanning key islands identified as Sahel 1, Dogon Chuku, Mangari, and the riverine belts of Tumbun Gini, Tumbun Dalo, Tumbun Shanu, Mangari, and Dumba.
Information obtained by PulseNets indicates that Boko Haram units led by commanders Hassan Buduma and Mohd Hassan mounted coordinated offensives on multiple ISWAP positions, deploying motorised watercraft fitted with heavy-calibre weapons.
One military source, who spoke to PulseNets, described the push as “a full-scale amphibious incursion executed with unusual precision.”
Investigations further learnt that the JAS fighters advanced from Tumbun Gini through the upper basin, storming ISWAP strongholds in what another source characterised as “a surprise dawn assault that caught many defenders off guard.”
The offensive reportedly forced ISWAP militants to abandon a number of their encampments and withdraw towards inland hideouts around Ali Jillimari, Metele, Kangarwa, and Gudumbali.
Although casualty figures remain uncertain, intelligence operatives told PulseNets that surveillance picked up “multiple bodies drifting along the channels and others hastily covered in shallow sand mounds.”
According to security analysts, Boko Haram’s latest objective is to uproot ISWAP from the Lake Chad islands entirely and tighten its grip over high-value supply routes and long-established smuggling corridors linking Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. These routes reportedly generate significant revenue through the extortion of fishermen, traders, and transport workers.
PulseNets learnt that ISWAP has held a superior footprint in the area since the 2021 death of Boko Haram’s former leader, Abubakar Shekau. However, the sharp drop in Lake Chad’s water levels has exposed dormant farmlands and abandoned fishing settlements, opening new fronts for confrontation.
Security operatives warned that the latest encounters signal a transition from sporadic skirmishes to a determined territorial campaign. They cautioned that residents should brace for increased ambushes, improvised explosive devices, and targeted attacks on transit routes linking Metele, Kangarwa, and the Maiduguri–Damasak corridor.
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Communities across Abadam and Kukawa LGAs—particularly fishermen, farmers, and transport operators—are expected to feel immediate disruptions as both factions intensify retaliatory raids and destabilise rural livelihoods.
Analysts observe that the Lake Chad Basin, long considered a challenging environment for formal military operations, has morphed into the core battlefield in an escalating war for supremacy between the rival jihadist groups. The ongoing conflict leaves civilians trapped between shifting frontlines and deepening humanitarian pressures.
