The resurgence of Jamaʿat al‑Ahl al‑Sunna li‑Dawāʾ al‑Jihād (JAS), a faction of Boko Haram, now poses a significant threat to security in the Lake Chad Basin. After being weakened by clashes with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), JAS is regrouping and expanding its operations. This revival is largely due to security forces concentrating on ISWAP, which has allowed JAS to rebuild and launch attacks on military positions.
In recent months JAS has carried out several high‑profile assaults. It targeted a naval base in Baga, Nigeria, and a military post in Goldavi, Cameroon. The group also perpetrated massacres of civilians, killing more than 100 residents in the villages of Mallam Karamti and Kwatandashi in Borno, Nigeria, and over 60 people in Dar Jamal, Borno. These attacks show JAS’s ability to adapt, adopting tactics similar to those of ISWAP.
JAS’s Ghazwah wing, led by Alhaji Kale, is notorious for robbery and ransom operations, including attacks on displacement camps. The group’s loose command structure enables units to engage in criminal activities and finance themselves independently, leading to a rise in kidnappings and robberies across the region. Crime has become a recruitment tool for JAS. Moreover, the failure of reintegration programs to provide former insurgents with adequate support has contributed to the group’s resurgence; former combatants are rejoining JAS because they lack meaningful future prospects, while ISWAP executes deserters.
A key factor in JAS’s revival is the role of Lake Chad‑based leader Bakura Doro, who supplies weapons to JAS wings and coordinates group activities. To counter the JAS threat, regional security forces must rebalance their strategies and treat the group as an independent, adaptive adversary. This requires disrupting JAS’s logistical networks, monitoring its connections, and strengthening amphibious capabilities to confront the group in lake areas. Governments must also improve disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration programs to discourage deserters from returning to JAS.
The resurgence of JAS has serious implications for regional security and humanitarian efforts. An escalation of kidnappings and attacks on aid organizations could reverse gains in resettling displaced persons and providing access to relief workers and materials. Urgent policy adjustments are needed to address the JAS threat and prevent further destabilization of the region.
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