Abuja, December 22, 2023 – Nigeria anticipates further military action against jihadist groups following a U.S. bombardment on Christmas Day targeting militants in the country’s north. The strikes signal a deepening security collaboration between the two nations, despite recent diplomatic friction.
Nigeria is facing simultaneous security challenges from jihadist insurgencies and armed banditry.
- Nigeria is experiencing interconnected security crises in its north,including a long-running jihadist insurgency and widespread banditry.
- The U.S. strikes were reportedly carried out with intelligence provided by Nigeria.
- A diplomatic dispute between the U.S. and nigeria, stemming from concerns over religious persecution, preceded the increased security cooperation.
- The specific groups targeted in the strikes remain unclear, but researchers have identified potential links to both islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliates.
The West african nation grapples with interwoven security crises in its northern regions. Jihadist groups have waged an insurgency in the northeast as 2009, while armed groups, frequently enough referred to as “bandits,” conduct raids and kidnappings in the northwest.The recent U.S. strikes follow a period of diplomatic tension between Abuja and Washington, triggered by former President Trump’s characterization of widespread killings of Christians within Nigeria’s ongoing conflicts.
What is the nature of the security challenges in northern Nigeria? The region faces a dual threat: a decade-long jihadist insurgency in the northeast and escalating violence from armed bandit groups in the northwest,creating a complex and volatile security landscape.
While Washington framed the violence as Christian “persecution” – a characterization disputed by the Nigerian government and independent analysts – the disagreement ultimately led to increased security cooperation. “it’s Nigeria that provided the intelligence,” Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar told broadcaster Channels TV, adding he was in communication with U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio prior to the bombardment. When asked about the possibility of further strikes, Tuggar stated, “It is an ongoing thing, and we are working with the US. We are working with other countries as well.”
The U.S.Department of Defense’s US Africa Command reported that “multiple ISIS terrorists” were killed in an attack in the northwestern state of Sokoto, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. Following the operation, U.S. defense officials released video footage appearing to show a missile launch from a U.S. Navy vessel.
The precise armed groups targeted in the strikes remain uncertain. Nigeria’s jihadist organizations are primarily concentrated in the northeast,but have increasingly extended their reach into the northwest. Recent research suggests potential connections between members of an armed group known as Lakurawa – a prominent group based in Sokoto State – and Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), which operates primarily in neighboring Niger and Mali.
Though, these links are contested, with some analysts noting that research on Lakurawa is complicated by the term’s broad application to various armed groups in the northwest. Those identified as Lakurawa are also reportedly linked to JNIM, the al-Qaeda-affiliated group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, a rival to ISSP.
Abuja has publicly welcomed the strikes, but malik Samuel, an Abuja-based researcher for Good Governance Africa, an NGO, suggested political motivations were at play. “I think Trump woudl not have accepted a ‘No’ from Nigeria,” Samuel said. He added that Nigerian authorities are eager to demonstrate cooperation with the U.S. amid diplomatic pressure, despite the fact that “both the perpetrators and the victims in the northwest are overwhelmingly Muslim.”
Tuggar confirmed that President Bola tinubu “gave the go-ahead” for the strikes, emphasizing that “It must be made clear that it is indeed a joint operation, and it is not targeting any religion nor simply in the name of one religion or the other.”
