Publications

The jihadist insurgent group Lakurawa  is a major threat to regional stability in West Africa despite the Nigerian government’s efforts, including military operations against its forest camps and its designation as a terrorist organisation. Active in the Northwest region since 2018, Lakurawa continues to control remote border communities in Nigeria and is now extending its reach into Northcentral Nigeria. The group’s access to heavy weapons, ability to recruit rapidly across borders and its growing alliances with other Al-Qaeda affiliated insurgent groups such as Mamudawa are fuelling a new surge of civilian harm across Nigeria’s tri-borders with Niger and Benin. This necessitates a change from intermittent, incident-driven military operations to steady, continuous protection of civilians in at-risk areas.

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