The protracted conflict between the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), also referred to as Boko Haram, has persistently influenced the insurgency in Nigeria’s Northeast, marked by ongoing confrontations regarding territory, leadership, and resources.
The context was emphasised in a study by security analyst Zagazola Makama when elucidating the recent clash between the two factions in Borno State.
The research indicates that the war originated in 2016 when ISWAP seceded from the Boko Haram faction commanded by Abubakar Shekau due to ideological and leadership disputes.
Following the division, both factions have participated in ongoing conflicts about territorial dominance, taxation pathways, recruitment of combatants, and strategic refuges throughout the Lake Chad Basin and the Sambisa Forest.
Makama indicated that the competition escalated in May 2021 when ISWAP initiated a significant assault in the Sambisa Forest, trapping Shekau during an encounter.
The article indicates that Shekau allegedly perished by triggering an explosive device instead of capitulating to ISWAP combatants.
The recent altercation marks the most recent episode in an ongoing sequence of violent encounters between ISWAP and JAS, whose enduring rivalry has persistently transformed the insurgency dynamics in the Northeast, the research indicated.
Subsequent to his demise, ISWAP assimilated numerous adherents of Shekau; nonetheless, various devoted JAS commanders declined to pledge loyalty to the faction and persisted in functioning autonomously from secluded areas inside the Sambisa Forest and Mandara Mountains.
Makama additionally disclosed that intelligence collected in recent months suggested escalating hostilities between the two factions regarding the management of food resources, taxing of local populations, transit routes, and the loyalty of remaining combatants.
The research indicates that the contest for supremacy has incited a succession of brutal internal conflicts, with both factions incurring losses while vying over diminishing areas amidst ongoing military strain.
Makama indicates that the resurgence of hostilities implies that ongoing military campaigns are compelling both groups to engage in intense rivalry over diminishing land, resources, and personnel as military engagements escalate in the Northeast.