Is violence involving Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province rising?

Ladd Serwat, Africa Senior Analyst at ACLED, said: 

“Exactly five years after a confrontation between Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) led to the death of Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Mohammed Shekau, violence between the two groups continues and clashes against military forces are escalating. 

“ACLED records over 300 clashes involving Boko Haram and ISWAP in the Lake Chad region in the first quarter of 2026 —a 30% increase from the last quarter of 2025 — with a notable rise on both the Cameroon and Nigeria sides of the border. The ongoing clashes between the two insurgent groups have also not kept them from conducting concurrent attacks on cities like Maiduguri, in Nigeria’s Borno state.

“Amid rising threats from insurgents, the United States has become increasingly involved in Nigeria, including by deploying soldiers and conducting missile strikes. As part of US military involvement in Nigeria, both militaries claimed to have killed Abu-Bilal ⁠al-Minuki, a senior ISWAP leader, on 15 May 2026 through joint operations.”