Boko Haram, ISWAP in fierce battle for control of Borno’s Lake Chad islands

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Rival jihadist organizations, Boko Haram’s Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), are fighting fiercely for control of key island settlements in Abadam and Kukawa Local Government Areas of Borno State, resulting in a fresh wave of violence in the Lake Chad Basin.

The conflicts took place between November 5 and 8, 2025, on the major islands of Sahel 1, Dogon Chuku, and Mangari as well as the riverine basins of Tumbun Gini, Tumbun Dalo, Tumbun Shanu, Mangari, and Dumba, according to an exclusive report released on Sunday by security analyst and counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama.

According to the report, Boko Haram fighters, under the command of Hassan Buduma and Mohd Hassan, used several motorized watercraft outfitted with heavy weaponry to perform coordinated attacks on ISWAP positions.

In what was termed as “an amphibious attack in insurgent style,” the group reportedly proceeded from Tumbun Gini via the upper river basin and attacked ISWAP strongholds early in the morning.

According to sources, the operation drove ISWAP fighters from a number of camps and into hiding places on the mainland around Ali Jillimari, Metele, Kangarwa, and Gudumbali.

Intelligence surveillance apparently found some dead floating in the river and others buried in shallow sand holes, while the exact number of casualties is yet unknown.

According to Makama’s study, Boko Haram wants to take over vital supply and smuggling lines that connect Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, as well as eradicate ISWAP from the Lake Chad islands.

By extorting fishermen, traders, and transportation operators, these corridors are thought to produce millions of naira.

Since Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau’s death in 2021, ISWAP has continued to rule the region. However, the Lake Chad Basin’s declining water levels have exposed historic fishing villages and restored land routes, generating new conflict hotspots.

According to security officials, the most recent fighting signals a change from sporadic skirmishes to an ongoing territorial effort. More ambushes, roadside explosives, and attacks on transportation routes connecting Metele, Kangarwa, and the Maiduguri–Damasak highway could be anticipated, they said.

As both sides continue their retaliatory attacks and interfere with local livelihoods, communities in Kukawa and Abadam LGAs, including farmers, fishermen, and transport operators, are anticipated to experience the immediate effects of the war.

The Lake Chad Basin, which was once thought to be a challenging area for traditional military operations, is now the epicenter of a bloody conflict between the two extremist factions, trapping civilians between the opposing forces and worsening humanitarian conditions, according to observers.

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