Islamic State West Africa Province’s ‘hearts and minds’ campaign is over with recent attacks such as 1 September 2024 in Yobe State demonstrating that the group have given up the pretense of caring about civilians.
Following its split from its rival Boko Haram faction Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad (JAS) in 2016 ISWAP capitalised on the fact that millions had been displaced due to years of Boko Haram conflict. The group secured trade routes and promised protection to civilians who came to live and work in areas under its control.
A former ISWAP cleric and judge is attributed to have claimed: “We met with fishermen and asked them to carry the message to Maiduguri and other places, that they should feel free to come here and do their business.”i Fishermen, farmers, herders, traders, transporters and others from Boko Haram-affected areas flocked to the Lake Chad Basin in response to these promises of stability. Unlike JAS, ISWAP fighters were prohibited from carrying out raids against civilian communities. Fighters could not harass civilians in these areas with strict punishments for those found to be flouting this decree. As a result, ISWAP’s influence and revenues surged as the group’s hearts and minds strategy paid dividends. The exploitation of disillusioned and desperate people is a well-known trait of terrorists worldwide. However, the true colors of the group are now coming to the fore as civilians under the group’s control are increasingly being attacked and persecuted by ISWAP fighters. ISWAP are also increasingly targeting civilians in communities outside of its control. The Institute for Security Studies’ monitoring of ISWAP propaganda materials shows there were at least three abductions between March and April and nine executions between April and June this year.ii
On 1 September 24 ISWAP conducted a brutal massacre which resulted in the death of 81 villagers in Yobe State.iii The raid targeted worshippers as they completed their Asr prayers (mid-afternoon) at a local mosque. Witnesses reported that the attackers separated the elderly and herders before opening fire.iv
ISWAP cited “revenge for alleged grievances” as their motive behind the massacre. In a letter written in Arabic, ISWAP claimed responsibility for this assault in Mafa village of Tarmuwa Local Government Area of Yobe. The letter claimed the village was targeted for allegedly providing information to the military, which led to the death of its members.v The Daily Trust published translations from this letter:
“This is a message from the soldiers of the Caliphate in the West Africa Province to the leaders, mukhtars, and the rest of the residents and farmers in the town of Mafa and the villages around it.” “You have been tempted to remain in your countries in safety. The soldiers of the Caliphate will not harm you, nor threaten you with your money, nor hinder you from any activity of yours, whether agriculture, trade, etc., until you have arrogantly raised yourselves to a position in which you believe that your hands will reach our brothers with harm and remain uninterrupted.”vi
In May, ISWAP attacked the popular fishing town of Baga in Kukawa, killing at least 15 people, giving residents two weeks to vacate – a threat aimed at stopping locals from collaborating with security forces. Civilians in nearby Tumbum Rogo, an island under ISWAP’s control, were also ordered to leave within a week. The group understands that forcing residents to vacate communities increases their vulnerability.vii
As operation Lake Sanity 2 progresses, the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) addressed the propaganda spread by ISWAP terrorists urging Kukawa and neighboring communities to flee or face attack claiming “This reprehensible propaganda is a blatant act of intimidation, a desperate move by a group on the verge of defeat.”
The worsening relationship between civilians and ISWAP is unlikely to come as a surprise to those who follow IS. The group has a proven history of becoming increasingly hard-line in its implementation of “Islamic” law when it comes under pressure from security forces. The hypocrisies of giving fighters ‘temporary permission’ to rob civilians in government-controlled areas is clear for all to see. Stealing food would be met with harsh punishments were it undertaken by civilians in ISWAP controlled areas.
What is clear is that the government and security forces in the region have the opportunity to exploit the deteriorating relationship between civilians and ISWAP. This will need to be achieved by providing a viable alternative to the group through the provision of security and essential services.
i https://issafrica.orh/iss-today/the-end-of-iswap-s-hearts-and-minds-strategy
ii https://issafrica.orh/iss-today/the-end-of-iswap-s-hearts-and-minds-strategy
iii https://countervirtex.org/blog/isis-franchise-claims-nigeria-massacre/
iv https://nigerianbulletin.com/ams/yobe-massacre-nigerians-react -as-37-bodies-of-boko-haram-victims-await-burial.8424/
v https://saharareporters.com/2024/09/03/iswap-claims-responsibility-yobe-massacre-says-village-punished-aiding-nigerian-military
vi https://dailytrust.com/breaking-iswap-claims-responsibility-for -yobe-mass-killing-gives-reason/
vii https://issafrica.orh/iss-today/the-end-of-iswap-s-hearts-and-minds-strategy