Latest news with #IslamicExtremists
The Independent
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Boko Haram militants kill 9 people and injure 4 in northeastern Nigeria, authorities say
Islamic extremists killed nine people and injured four in Borno state in northeastern Nigeria, authorities said Sunday. The attack was carried out by Boko Haram militants on the Malam Fatori community, Babagana Zulum, the state governor, said. He did not say when the attack happened. The community, very close to the border of Chad, is about 270 kilometers (167 miles) from Maiduguri, Borno's capital city. The governor, represented by Sugun Mai Mele, the commissioner for local governments, visited the community and warned residents against collaborating with Boko Haram militants. 'Anyone found collaborating with the insurgents to bring harm or attack to the people of Malam Fatori will be cursed,' he said, adding that there are measures being put in place to fortify the town against future attacks. A resurgence of Boko Haram attacks has been shaking Nigeria's northeast in recent months, as Islamic extremists have repeatedly overrun military outposts, mined roads with bombs and raided civilian communities, raising fears of a possible return to peak Boko Haram-era insecurity despite the military's claims of successes. Last month, a suicide bomber suspected to be female killed at least 10 people and injured several others in an explosion in a restaurant in the Konduga area of Borno, as the state struggles to curb attacks by the extremists. Boko Haram, Nigeria's homegrown jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law. The conflict also has spilled into Nigeria's northern neighbors. Some 35,000 civilians have been killed and more than 2 million displaced in Nigeria's northeastern region, according to the U.N. Apart from the insurgency in the northeast, Africa's most populous country is also facing serious security challenges in the north-central and northwest regions, where hundreds have been killed and injured in recent months.
Washington Post
06-07-2025
- Washington Post
Boko Haram militants kill 9 people and injure 4 in northeastern Nigeria, authorities say
ABUJA, Nigeria — Islamic extremists killed nine people and injured four in Borno state in northeastern Nigeria, authorities said Sunday. The attack was carried out by Boko Haram militants on the Malam Fatori community, Babagana Zulum, the state governor, said. He did not say when the attack happened. The community, very close to the border of Chad, is about 270 kilometers (167 miles) from Maiduguri, Borno's capital city.
Associated Press
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Boko Haram militants kill 9 people and injure 4 in northeastern Nigeria, authorities say
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Islamic extremists killed nine people and injured four in Borno state in northeastern Nigeria, authorities said Sunday. The attack was carried out by Boko Haram militants on the Malam Fatori community, Babagana Zulum, the state governor, said. He did not say when the attack happened. The community, very close to the border of Chad, is about 270 kilometers (167 miles) from Maiduguri, Borno's capital city. The governor, represented by Sugun Mai Mele, the commissioner for local governments, visited the community and warned residents against collaborating with Boko Haram militants. 'Anyone found collaborating with the insurgents to bring harm or attack to the people of Malam Fatori will be cursed,' he said, adding that there are measures being put in place to fortify the town against future attacks. A resurgence of Boko Haram attacks has been shaking Nigeria's northeast in recent months, as Islamic extremists have repeatedly overrun military outposts, mined roads with bombs and raided civilian communities, raising fears of a possible return to peak Boko Haram-era insecurity despite the military's claims of successes. Last month, a suicide bomber suspected to be female killed at least 10 people and injured several others in an explosion in a restaurant in the Konduga area of Borno, as the state struggles to curb attacks by the extremists. Boko Haram, Nigeria's homegrown jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law. The conflict also has spilled into Nigeria's northern neighbors. Some 35,000 civilians have been killed and more than 2 million displaced in Nigeria's northeastern region, according to the U.N. Apart from the insurgency in the northeast, Africa's most populous country is also facing serious security challenges in the north-central and northwest regions, where hundreds have been killed and injured in recent months.
CBS News
07-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Russia-backed Wagner Group says it is leaving Mali, but Africa Corps will remain
The Russia-backed Wagner Group said Friday it is leaving Mali after more than three and a half years of fighting Islamic extremists and insurgents in the country. Despite Wagner's announcement, Russia will continue to have a mercenary presence in the West African country. The Africa Corps, Russia's state-controlled paramilitary force, said on its Telegram channel Friday that Wagner's departure would not introduce any changes and the Russian contingent will remain in Mali. Wagner is a group of entities that operate as a private military company, or PMC. These PMCs can be hired by governments for security or combat services. "Mission accomplished. Private Military Company Wagner returns home," the group announced via its channel on the messaging app Telegram. It said it had brought all regional capitals under control of the Malian army, pushed out armed militants and killed their commanders. Mali, along with neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, has for more than a decade battled an insurgency fought by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. As Western influence in the region has waned, Russia has sought to step into the vacuum, sweeping in with offers of assistance. Moscow initially expanded its military cooperation with African nations by using the Wagner Group of mercenaries. But since the group's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was killed in a plane crash in 2023, after mounting a brief armed rebellion in Russia that challenged the rule of President Vladimir Putin, Moscow has been developing the Africa Corps as a rival force to Wagner. Africa Corps is under direct command of the Russian defense ministry. According to U.S. officials, there are around 2,000 mercenaries in Mali. It is unclear how many are with Wagner and how many are part of the Africa Corps. Beverly Ochieng, a security analyst specializing in the Sahel for Control Risks consultancy, said the Russian defense ministry had been negotiating with Mali to take on more Africa Corps fighters and for Wagner mercenaries to join Russia's state-controlled paramilitary force. "Since the death of Prigozhin, Russia has had this whole plan to then make the Wagner Group fall under the command of the Ministry of Defense. One of the steps they made was to revamp or introduce the Africa Corps, which is the way in which the Russian paramilitaries would retain a presence in areas where the Wagner group has been operating," Ochieng said. Wagner has been present in Mali since late 2021 following a military coup, replacing French troops and international peacekeepers to help fight the militants. But the Malian army and Russian mercenaries struggled to curb violence in the country and have both been accused of targeting civilians. Last month, United Nations experts urged Malian authorities to investigate reports of alleged summary executions and forced disappearances by Wagner mercenaries and the army. In December, Human Rights Watch accused Malian armed forces and the Wagner Group of deliberately killing at least 32 civilians over an 8-month span. The announcement of Wagner's withdrawal comes as the Malian army and the Russian mercenaries suffered heavy losses during attacks by the al-Qaida linked group JNIM in recent weeks. Last week, JNIM fighters killed dozens of soldiers in an attack on a military base in central Mali. Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South, said the major losses might have caused the possible end of Wagner's mission. "The lack of an official and mutual announcement from both the Malian authorities and Wagner indicate possible internal dispute which led to this sudden decision. Simultaneously, this could point to a new framework for Russian presence in the country," he said. Replacing Wagner with Africa Corps troops would likely shift Russia's focus in Mali from fighting alongside the Malian army to training, said Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. "Africa Corps has a lighter footprint and focuses more on training, providing equipment and doing protection services. They fight less than the 'Rambo-type' Wagner mercenaries," Laessing said.
Washington Post
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Boko Haram's resurgence: Why Nigeria's military is struggling to hold the line
ABUJA, Nigeria — A resurgence of Boko Haram attacks is shaking Nigeria's northeast, as Islamic extremists have repeatedly overrun military outposts, mined roads with bombs, and raided civilian communities since the start of the year, raising fears of a possible return to peak Boko Haram-era insecurity despite the military's claims of successes.
