Nigeria Confirms Death of Leader of Splinter Militant Group ISWAP

Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff General Lucky Irabor has said that Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) is dead. However, Irabor did not give any details of the circumstances of Barnawi's death, which was first reported in September 2021.

"I can authoritatively confirm to you that Al-Barnawi is dead. As simple as that. He is dead and remains dead," the army chief told reporters, without providing further details on how or when Al-Barnawi died.

Al-Barnawi was the son of Boko Haram's founder, Muhammed Yusuf, whose death by police in 2009, was one of the triggers for that group to launch its full-scale insurrection in northeast Nigeria. Al-Barnawi rose to prominence as leader of ISWAP, a militant group that broke away from Boko Haram in 2016. ISWAP pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, after differences with Boko Haram commander Abubakar Shekau, who died in May 2021, during infighting between the two factions.

The conflict between the insurgents and Nigeria's armed forces, which has also spread to neighbouring Chad and Cameroon, has left about 300,000 dead and millions dependent on aid.