Niger Army kills Boko Haram Commander In Lake Chad Operation

The Nigerien army has confirmed the killing of Boko Haram commander Bakura in a military operation carried out in the Lake Chad basin.

The offensive took place last week on an island in the Diffa region, which shares borders with Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon.

According to a military statement, Bakura, whose real name was Ibrahim Mahamadu, was struck during an air raid on August 15. A fighter jet launched three successive strikes on positions he previously occupied in Shilawa. The army described him as one of the most feared figures of the jihadist group.

Bakura was about 40 years old and originally from Nigeria. He joined Boko Haram more than 13 years ago and rose to prominence after the death of Abubakar Shekau in 2021, leading a faction loyal to Shekau rather than aligning with the Islamic State West Africa Province.

The insurgent leader had been active around the Lake Chad islands, where he and his fighters operated from hideouts, attacking military and civilian targets. His death is seen as a blow to the Shekau-loyalist wing of Boko Haram.

Boko Haram’s insurgency, which began in Nigeria in 2009, has claimed an estimated 40,000 lives and displaced more than two million people. The violence has also spread into neighboring countries, with Niger first experiencing attacks in Bosso in 2015.

Military authorities in Niger said operations will continue across the Lake Chad basin to prevent the group from regrouping and to ensure greater security for border communities.