On December 19th, members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) burned homes in Borno state, Nigeria. This attack occurred nine days after terrorists took the life of a pregnant Christian woman in the same area.
The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists attacked two villages in Nigeria - Jibwiwi (Debiro) in Hawul County and Ngulde in Askira/Uba County. The attack occurred at around 6 p.m. local time and involved burning several houses and destroying livestock and storehouses containing harvested crops. A resident of the area, Shawulu Yohanna, provided this information.
Several Attacks in Nigeria
According to Christian News, on December 10th, terrorists attacked a home in Pelachiroma village in Hawul County, Nigeria, killing a pregnant Christian woman named Mary Barka Paul Sawa and wounding her husband, Paul Sawa.
Nine days later, on December 19th, followers of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) ambushed the predominantly Christian Jibwiwi (Debiro) and Ngulde villages, also in Hawul County, using motorcycles, guns, and cluster bombs.
According to Shawulu Yohanna, a resident of the area, the people in these two villages could escape the attacks without any casualties. Habila Lemaka of the Hawul Local Government Police Division confirmed these attacks and stated that these areas had been subjected to constant attacks from terrorists.
The Borno State Police Command confirmed that the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) was responsible for the attacks on Jibwiwi (Debiro) and Ngulde villages in Hawul County. According to the spokesman, Sani Shatambaya, military and police personnel were deployed to the affected communities to push back against the terrorists.
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The ISWAP
In a report by Morning Star News, in 2016, a faction of Boko Haram led by Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and changed its name to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Despite this, many Nigerians still refer to this faction by its original name, Boko Haram.
According to the 2022 World Watch List report from Open Doors, Nigeria had the highest number of Christians killed for their faith from October 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021, with 4,650 deaths, up from 3,530 the previous year. Nigeria also had the highest number of kidnapped Christians, with over 2,500 cases, increasing from 990 in the last year. Regarding churches attacked, Nigeria ranked second after China, with 470 points. In the World Watch List ranking of countries where it is most challenging to be a Christian, Nigeria rose to seventh place, its highest-ever order, from the ninth place the previous year.
According to The Guardian, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) is a splinter group of the Islamic State (IS) that has caused significant disruption to peace and security in Western Asia and beyond, directly and indirectly. In 2014, after declaring itself a Caliphate with Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi as its Caliph, the Islamic State caused widespread destruction in Iraq and Syria. ISWAP operates primarily in the Chad Basin, with activities within the borders of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and the Niger Republic. The group's limited regional successes have made West Africa, and possibly the African continent, a target for ISWAP's operations.
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