Bloodbath in Sambisa Forest as terrorists engage in supremacy battle

Scores of fighters were reportedly killed in a week-long surge of violent infighting between rival factions of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) across the Sambisa Forest axis of Borno State.

Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the renewed hostilities erupted on Jan. 3, following a coordinated ISWAP raid led by two commanders, identified as Jundullah and Ibn Hataf, targeting camps loyal to the Boko Haram faction around the Ali Ngulde axis of the Mandara Mountains.

The offensive, according to the sources, was met with stiff resistance as Boko Haram elements mounted a counter-ambush under the coordination of a field commander known as Abu-Rijal, also called Ba-Sulhu. Dozens of ISWAP fighters were reportedly killed in the encounter, while many captured alive, with weapons seized by the defending faction.

Footage that resurfaced during the week and said to have been obtained by Zagazola Makama, showed captured ISWAP fighters being executed before other combatants, amid claims of victory by the Boko Haram faction.

While the video reflects the brutality that has characterised inter-group rivalries in the forested enclaves of the Lake Chad in Borno State. Heavy weapons including AK-47 rifles, a general-purpose machine gun (GPMG), an anti-aircraft gun and assorted ammunition, were recovered during the initial clashes.

However, the balance of power appeared to shift days later. On Jan. 6, ISWAP fighters were said to have launched a retaliatory assault on a Boko Haram stronghold in the Sabil Huda axis, triggering a prolonged exchange of heavy gunfire that lasted several hours.

Sources said ISWAP forces eventually overran the position, killing at least 12 Boko Haram fighters and seizing additional weapons.

The aftermath of the fighting reportedly forced the relocation of Boko Haram families, women and children from contested camps to perceived safe havens around the Yale General axis.

Night operations were also said to have been conducted to track fleeing fighters, though no further confirmed engagements were recorded as of Wednesday.

The renewed clashes are consistent with a long-running rivalry rooted in ideological differences, leadership disputes and competition over territory, resources and fighters. Both factions, according to sources, are re-arming and repositioning for possible further attacks. (Zagazola,)