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Violent Extremism in the Sahel
Nigeria Places Bounty on ISWAP Leaders
- The Nigerian military placed bounties on multiple ISWAP officials—including leader Abu Musa Al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa and his deputy Amirul Jaish—after Operation Hadin Kai troops recovered incriminating technology during offensive operations against militants in Borno State (PR Nigeria).
Russian Airstrike Kills Eight Civilians, Report Reveals
- Africa Corps airstrikes on a village in central Mali killed eight civilians, including three children, a Human Rights Watch report found (AP).
- Although Africa Corps officials claim the attack targeted a “terrorist” gathering, no militants were killed, despite an estimated presence of one hundred JNIM fighters in the village (Al Jazeera).
Amnesty International Demands War Crimes Probe
- Amnesty International called for a war crimes investigation into the killing of nineteen Malian soldiers by joint FLA-JNIM forces, stating videos of the incident clearly indicate the soldiers were not in combat, subject to ill-treatment, and summarily executed (Reuters).
Chad Withdraws From the ICC
- Chad began its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court after U.S. officials urged N’Djamena to leave the institution; Chad officially cited the court’s “limited” effectiveness and over-emphasis on African affairs as its rationale (Al Jazeera).
President Tinubu Expands Nigerian Military
- President Tinubu approved the recruitment of twenty-eight thousand soldiers and the creation of four new army divisions in a major expansion of the Nigerian military (BBC).
- The recruitment drive will be accompanied by increased investment in the military; Abuja recently doubled the minimum wage for soldiers and announced new measures to improve military equipment and promote troop welfare (Africa News).
Trump Weighs Military Action in Mali
- The Trump administration is considering launching strikes against JNIM in Mali, although senior U.S. officials remain divided on the subject; throughout Trump’s second term, Washington has worked to improve ties with Bamako, ramping up intelligence sharing and lifting sanctions on the country’s junta leadership (WaPo).
Nigerian Military Kills ISWAP Chief Photographer
- Operation Hadin Kai troops killed ISWAP Chief Photographer Abu Salim al-Barnawi and other members of the group’s mobile media team during a failed terrorist attack on a military position in Borno state (PR Nigeria).
Rebels Ambush Malian Convoy
- Joint JNIM-FLA forces ambushed a Malian army convoy leaving Anéfis, killing at least fifty pro-government forces and capturing numerous others; the insurgents also destroyed and seized military vehicles (Reuters)
- The Malian army conducted retaliatory strikes that they claim killed approximately twenty terrorists and enabled the convoy to continue its route (AP)
Insurgents Withdraw From Anéfis
- Joint FLA-JNIM forces have begun to withdraw from Anéfis following a week of armed clashes with FAMA and Africa Corps troops; pro-government forces claim to have continued operations against insurgents across Mali, conducting fifteen airstrikes, destroying twelve combat vehicles, and killing approximately one hundred insurgents (Reuters)
- Separately, Nigerian security forces rescued all forty-six students and staff kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria’s southwestern Oyo state on May 15, except one teacher killed in captivity (Al Jazeera)
- The government claims to have arrested eight of the militants behind the abduction and killed an unspecified number of the others (Reuters)
- As most of the school kidnappings in Nigeria occur in the north, abductions in a southern state have inflamed fears about the country’s security crisis (AP)
Russia and AES Deepen Military Ties
- AES member states and Russia pledged to increase military cooperation during multilateral talks in Niamey amid intensifying insurgent attacks across the Sahel (Reuters)
Rebels Attack Military Convoy
- Joint FLA-JNIM forces attacked a Malian army convoy carrying reinforcements for troops in the Anéfis military camp; after hours of intense clashes, the rebels claimed to have destroyed several drones and military vehicles, and deaths have been reported on both sides (RFI)
ISWAP Attacks Army Base
- Suspected ISWAP fighters attacked a Nigerian army base in Borno state, killed one soldier, and burned civilian infrastructure before government troops forced them to retreat (Premium Times)
Burkinabe Military Refuses to Let Civilians Leave Besieged Towns, Investigation Finds
- The Burkinabe military has prevented civilians from fleeing towns besieged by jihadist rebels through both physical force and psychological pressure in a likely attempt to downplay territorial loss to insurgent groups and internal displacement (The New Humanitarian)
Fighting Continues in Northern Mali
- Malian Armed Forces and Africa Corps soldiers are under siege in their military camp in Anéfis after JNIM and the FLA took control of the town days earlier; the rebels have prevented reinforcements by ambushing convoys and deterring aerial support, including allegedly shooting down a Russian Mi-24 helicopter (RFI)
- Anéfis is a strategically important location for both pro-government and insurgent forces (AP)
United States Withdraws Troops From Nigeria
- The United States has withdrawn most of the forces it deployed in Nigeria, claiming their joint counterterrorism operations with Abuja significantly degraded the Islamic State’s capacity in the country (BBC)
- Both Nigerian and U.S. military leaders confirmed that intelligence sharing between the two countries will continue (Reuters)
Rebels Launch Coordinated Attacks Across Mali
- JNIM and the FLA claimed responsibility for a series of coordinated attacks in five towns across northern, central, and southern Mali that targeted military positions and a major prison complex that holds political dissidents (Al Jazeera)
- Although the Malian Armed Forces and Africa Corps claim to have killed twenty-six rebels, suffered one casualty, and successfully stabilized the security situation, JNIM and the FLA maintain they seized control of at least three military installations during the attack (Africa News)
Mali and Burkina Faso Withdraw From ICC
- Mali and Burkina Faso began the withdrawal process from the International Criminal Court (ICC) after announcing their intent to leave the institution in a joint declaration with Niger in September 2025; the AES denounces the ICC as a court “instrumentalized for political purposes” (RFI)
Boko Haram/ISWAP Abducts Students and Teachers
- Boko Haram/ISWAP soldiers disguised as Nigerian security personnel infiltrated a secondary school in Borno State, killed one teacher, and abducted an unknown number of students and at least one teacher (Sahara Reporters)
Report Finds All Warring Parties in Mali Harm Civilians
- A Human Rights Watch report revealed that all warring parties have committed serious abuses against civilians since fighting between Islamist armed groups, the Malian armed forces, and their respective allies escalated in April 2026 (AP)
Armed Group Kills Fifteen in Nigeria
- Local lawmaker Abdullaziz Yari called on President Tinubu and defense authorities to stop persistent insurgent violence in a statement on social media after armed men killed at least fifteen people in a farming community in Zamfara state, northwestern Nigeria; Yari described the incident as a “terrorist attack,” although no group has officially claimed responsibility (AP)
- Meanwhile, Burkina Faso’s military government cut diplomatic ties with France over accusations that its former security partner harbors “blatant neo-colonial ambitions and [provides] active support for subversive networks and terrorists” (AP)
- France denounced this move as “hostile and unfounded,” and signaled that it was considering reciprocal measures (Reuters)
U.S. Military Praises Security Partnership With Nigeria
- Major General Claude Tudor, Commander of the United States Special Operations Command Africa, lauded the success of Operation Hadin Kai and affirmed U.S. commitment to deepening security cooperation with Nigeria during a visit to the Maimalari Cantonment military base in Borno State (PR Nigeria)
Nigerian Troops Rescue Forty-Seven From Boko Haram
- Joint Task Force troops under Operation Hadin Kai rescued forty-seven victims held captive by Boko Haram/ISWAP in Nigeria’s Borno State after leading intense air and ground offensives against the insurgents that forced them to abandon their positions (Premium Times)
- Meanwhile, an armed group killed twenty people during an attack on the Kawl community in the north-central Nigerian Plateau State and exchanged gunfire with the police, which forced them to disperse; no group has claimed responsibility for the attack (AP)
Deals With JNIM Enable Civilians to Return Home
- Residents of roughly ten villages in the Bankass district in central Mali have returned home after local and traditional authorities reached agreements with occupying JNIM forces, under which civilians adhere to JNIM’s laws in exchange for the right of return to their villages and protection from jihadist violence (RFI)
Benin and Niger Draft Bilateral Accords
- Bilateral committees composed of Beninese and Nigerien officials produced three draft cooperation agreements on defense, security, and reopening their shared border following two days of meetings; the accords will reportedly be signed in Niamey at a later date (RFI)