Nigeria: Militants ambush military convoy in Damboa Oct. 18

Event

Boko Haram militants reportedly ambushed a military convoy near the city of Damboa (Borno state, northeast) on Wednesday, October 18. According to a military source, the assailants opened fire on vehicles traveling between Damboa and Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, killing three soldiers and injuring five others.

Context

Since 2015, a counterinsurgency operation carried out by a coalition of West African states (Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger) against Boko Haram has greatly diminished the militant group's territorial control. However, Boko Haram still routinely carries out deadly terrorist attacks, particularly in the northeast of Nigeria. The group typically attacks security forces and governmental buildings, as well as public venues (markets, places of worship, schools, bars, areas where broadcasts of sports competitions are displayed, etc.). The group's modus operandi frequently includes suicide bombings and kidnappings (regularly followed by assassinations and targeting primarily foreign nationals).

Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) in March 2015 and formally adopted the name of Islamic State in West Africa.

Advice

The security environment in Nigeria is complex and particularly poor in the northeast and extreme south of the country due to the presence of armed groups, high crime rates, and the risk of kidnapping. Some Western governments consequently advise against travel to certain areas of the northeast (e.g. Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, and Jigawa states as well as parts of Kano and Adamawa states) and the southern Niger Delta region (e.g. Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers states). Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to travel to these areas.