The Nigeria Conflict
A neutral, source-attributed briefing on Nigeria's security crisis — the Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgency plus widespread banditry and communal violence.
Open the live conflict map → Common questionsLast updated: 2026-08-06 · Evergreen briefing — the live map and the headlines below carry the latest developments.
Key locations: Nigeria Conflict
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Maiduguricity11.8333, 13.1500
Capital of Borno state and the birthplace of Boko Haram in 2002, now the most fortified city in the northeast and headquarters of Nigeria's counterinsurgency operations.
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Chibokcity10.8833, 12.8333
Borno town where Boko Haram abducted a large group of schoolgirls in April 2014, an attack that drew global attention to the insurgency.
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Sambisa Forestregion11.1667, 13.0333
Dense forest reserve in southern Borno state that served as a historic Boko Haram base and hideout for abducted captives.
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Gwozacity11.0833, 13.6961
Borno town near the Cameroonian border and the Mandara Mountains, the site of hostage releases by Boko Haram in mid-2026.
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Bagacity13.1667, 14.2333
Fishing town on the Nigerian shore of Lake Chad that has repeatedly been fought over by Boko Haram/ISWAP factions and Nigerian and multinational forces.
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Abujacity9.0765, 7.3986
Nigeria's federal capital, targeted by a Boko Haram bus-station bombing in 2014 and the seat of national counterterrorism policy.
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Damaturucity11.7470, 11.9608
Capital of Yobe state, one of the three northeastern states placed under a state of emergency in 2013 as the insurgency escalated.
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Lake Chad Basinregion13.2000, 14.1000
Shrinking inland lake shared by Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon whose islands and shoreline have been repeatedly contested between Boko Haram's JAS and ISWAP factions.
Key facts
- The Nigeria Conflict is an insurgency / communal violence in West Africa, currently Active (High intensity).
- Nigeria faces a jihadist insurgency by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the northeast, alongside armed banditry in the northwest and farmer-herder violence in the middle belt.
- Key actors: Nigerian security forces, Boko Haram, ISWAP.
- What's at stake: Counter-insurgency, Civilian security, Food security.
Latest developments
The headlines below are pulled automatically from Google News (the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) and link to primary reporting. They are updated periodically; last refreshed 2026-08-06.
- Nigeria2026-07-15 — Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
- Nigeria: Boko Haram Trials Ineffective, Flawed2026-07-22 — Human Rights Watch
- How Terrorist Groups Are Using A.I. to Gain an Edge in Battle2026-07-15 — nytimes.com
- How jihadist groups like Boko Haram use AI for acts of terror2026-07-14 — France 24
- Dozens of Boko Haram terrorists killed in Nigerian airstrike2026-07-12 — Anadolu Ajansı
- Nigeria raises military salaries as security threats persist2026-08-05 — Yahoo
- Boko Haram chief photographer killed: Nigerian Army confam killing of ISWAP raid commander Abu Salim al-Barnawi, oda members2026-07-22 — BBC
- Nigerian Catholic Diocese Helping Children Displaced by Boko Haram to Face the Future with Courage2026-08-01 — ACI Africa
Overview
Nigeria faces a jihadist insurgency by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the northeast, alongside armed banditry in the northwest and farmer-herder violence in the middle belt.
This page is an evergreen orientation. Figures and control change continually — confirm the latest with the primary sources listed below.
Key actors
- Nigerian security forces — the military and police.
- Boko Haram — the long-running jihadist insurgency.
- ISWAP — the Islamic State West Africa Province.
- Armed bandits and militias — driving violence in other regions.
What's at stake
- Counter-insurgency: containing Boko Haram and ISWAP.
- Civilian security: kidnappings, raids, and displacement.
- Food security: violence disrupting farming regions.
- Regional spillover: links to the Sahel and Lake Chad basin.
Nigeria Conflict explained: the key dynamics
Boko Haram and ISWAP in the northeast
The northeast faces a long-running jihadist insurgency split between Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which conduct attacks, kidnappings, and raids around the Lake Chad basin.
Banditry in the northwest
Separate from the jihadist insurgency, heavily armed criminal gangs — widely termed bandits — carry out mass kidnappings and village raids across the northwest.
Farmer–herder violence
In the middle belt, competition over land and water between farming and herding communities produces recurrent deadly violence, adding a third major axis of insecurity.
Timeline: how the nigeria conflict unfolded
- 2009 — Boko Haram launches its insurgency in northeastern Nigeria.
- 2014 — The group seizes territory and abducts the Chibok schoolgirls, drawing global attention.
- 2016 — A faction splits to form ISWAP, aligned with the Islamic State.
- 2018–26 — Jihadist insurgency persists alongside banditry and farmer–herder violence.
How this conflict is mapped and tracked
Nigeria's overlapping crises are tracked by ACLED across distinct categories — jihadist insurgency, banditry, and communal violence — which is why national totals can obscure very different dynamics by region. UCDP records the insurgency dyads; kidnapping and raid figures are estimates.
For how these datasets differ, see ACLED vs UCDP vs CFR and our guide to conflict-tracking tools.
Boko Haram and Banditry in Nigeria
The northeastern Nigeria insurgency began in 2009 when Boko Haram — meaning roughly 'Western education is forbidden' — launched an armed uprising under Mohammed Yusuf. Following Yusuf's extrajudicial killing by police, his successors mounted an increasingly sophisticated campaign that seized large swathes of Borno and neighboring states by 2014–15. A military coalition involving Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger pushed Boko Haram from its territorial strongholds but failed to destroy it.
Boko Haram split into two factions: the core Boko Haram under Abubakar Shekau (killed in 2021), and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), now the dominant faction, which has expanded operations to the Lake Chad Basin and beyond. ISWAP has killed hundreds of soldiers and civilians annually while evading military attempts at eradication.
Separately, armed banditry in Nigeria's northwest — involving loose criminal organizations that conduct mass kidnappings, cattle rustling, and attacks on farming communities — has killed thousands and generated hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom. The phenomenon is distinct from the Islamist insurgency in origin but increasingly intersects with it. Together, these conflicts killed over 6,000 people in 2025.
How it fits the global picture
This is one of 29 active armed conflict theaters tracked on the Global Armed Conflicts Map. Explore related and concurrent conflicts:
Frequently asked questions
Is Nigeria at war in 2026?
Nigeria faces an active insurgency by Boko Haram and ISWAP plus widespread banditry and communal violence. Confirm the current status with primary sources such as ACLED, UCDP, and the CFR Global Conflict Tracker.
What is the difference between Boko Haram and ISWAP?
ISWAP split from Boko Haram and is aligned with the Islamic State; both operate in northeastern Nigeria and the Lake Chad basin.
How can I follow it live?
Use the interactive conflict map to see this theater alongside 28 other active conflicts, filter by intensity and region, and open intelligence briefings for each.
Is Boko Haram still active in 2026?
Yes. Boko Haram and its offshoot ISWAP remain active in the northeast and Lake Chad basin, though the security picture varies and both have faced military pressure.
What is the difference between Boko Haram and the bandits?
Boko Haram and ISWAP are jihadist insurgent groups in the northeast; the bandits are criminal gangs in the northwest motivated mainly by profit through kidnapping and raiding, without the same ideological agenda.
Source provenance
- News feed 0 days · as of 2026-08-06
| Date | Change | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-06 | Headlines refreshed | News feed |