Al Qaeda, ISIS Violence Surges In Niger-Benin-Nigeria Borderlands

Islamist militant groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State are rapidly turning the once-remote border areas between Niger, Benin and Nigeria into deadly conflict corridors, a new report by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project has revealed.

According to the crisis monitoring organisation, violent incidents involving jihadist fighters in the volatile tri-border region surged sharply between 2024 and 2025, with reported fatalities more than doubling to exceed 1,000.

In its report published on Thursday, ACLED described the situation as a troubling escalation in both the spread and lethality of extremist activities.

“The jihadist threat in the Benin, Niger, and Nigeria borderlands is no longer just defined by geographic expansion; it has taken on new characteristics and proportions as Sahelian jihadist militants have escalated, entrenched, and increasingly broadcast their footprint,” the report stated.

It added, “When comparing 2024 and 2025, the number of violent events involving jihadist groups in the borderland regions of Benin’s Alibori and Borgou departments; Niger’s Dosso department; and Nigeria’s Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, and Kwara states rose by 86%, and the related fatalities increased by 262%.”

ACLED disclosed that fighters aligned with al Qaeda and Islamic State have entrenched themselves in Benin’s Alibori and Borgou departments, Niger’s Dosso region, and Nigeria’s Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger and Kwara states.

The insurgents, once largely confined to Nigeria’s North-East, are now exploiting vast forests, porous borders and limited state presence in the North-West and coastal West Africa.

Nigeria has battled Islamist insurgents, particularly Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, for over 15 years, with the conflict claiming tens of thousands of lives and displacing millions.

However, analysts warned that new al-Qaeda and Islamic State-affiliated cells are expanding westward, opening fresh fronts in areas previously considered transit routes rather than active war zones.

West Africa now hosts a patchwork of jihadist factions operating under broader umbrellas such as Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, aligned with al Qaeda, and the Islamic State in the Sahel Province.

ACLED warned that competition among rival factions could further escalate violence.

The report said, “In Benin, sporadic but particularly deadly cross-border raids against the military made 2025 the deadliest year to date.

“In Niger, parallel campaigns by JNIM and ISSP show that these groups are consolidating and expanding their presence, with recent operations in and around the capital, Niamey.

“In Nigeria, United States airstrikes against ISSP, which is active in Sokoto and northern Kebbi, coincide with increasing violent activities by multiple groups and in the same areas in Kwara state, including JNIM, the Mahmuda group, and Boko Haram (JAS), along with a recent series of large-scale killings attributed to JAS.”

The report further noted that between June and November 2025, JNIM publicly claimed a series of attacks in Basso, Wara, Nuku and Karunji along the Benin-Nigeria border.

The findings come amid weakening regional coordination, following military takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger since 2020.

The juntas, which seized power citing insecurity, have distanced themselves from regional blocs, hampering joint counterterrorism operations.

In Benin, soldiers behind a failed coup attempt in December reportedly cited worsening insecurity as justification.

Meanwhile, the United States has stepped up limited involvement, carrying out airstrikes in northwestern Nigeria and deploying a small number of troops to train Nigerian forces.

ACLED concluded that the increasing publicity by jihadist groups about their activities in the tri-border region may signal growing rivalry, a trend analysts fear could drive even deadlier attacks as factions compete for dominance.