Nigeria: Air force targets Boko Haram camp in Borno state April 16

Event

On Thursday, April 16, the Nigerian Air Force carried out an airstrike on a Boko Haram logistics facility in Sambisa Forest (Borno State) as part of Operation Lafiya Dole. Local news sources report that dozens of Boko Haram militants were killed in the airstrike and the facility destroyed. Retaliatory attacks by Boko Haram in Borno State, and to a lesser extent in Nigeria, are likely in the short term.

Context

Borno state is the birthplace of Boko Haram, and it has become the stronghold of the insurgency, where most of its attacks take place. Although regional counterinsurgency efforts targeting Boko Haram that began in 2015 - led by West African states Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger - have greatly diminished the group's territorial control since 2015, its members continue to routinely carry out deadly terrorist attacks.

Advice

Operationally-critical travel in Borno State should be done with stringent security risk management procedures in place. Travelers to the region should liaise with local security forces and authorities to identify areas with ongoing security operations in the region. Contingency measures should be continuously reviewed to ensure they are commensurate with the local threat environment.