A fresh power struggle within the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, has reportedly deepened following a breakaway by a prominent commander, Yaku Buduma, and fighters loyal to him.
The latest confrontation began on Friday, September 25, after Buduma reportedly led his men to free kinsmen detained on the orders of ISWAP leader Ba Shuwa.
The detained fighters were allegedly suspected of considering surrender to government authorities or had come under suspicion over their loyalty to Ba Shuwa.
Buduma reportedly served as an amirul fi’a, a commander of a large fighting unit, with four qaids, or field commanders, operating under him.
His faction, believed to number more than 1,000 fighters, was considered significant to ISWAP’s operations around the Lake Chad basin because of its familiarity with the region’s waterways, islands and marshes.
The fighters, known as waterborne combatants, have reportedly played key roles in operations against the Boko Haram faction led by Bakura Doro, using their knowledge of the difficult terrain to move personnel, weapons and supplies across the Lake Chad waterways.
The split also threatens a relationship between ISWAP and the Buduma community that was reportedly strengthened by Abubakar Mainok, also known as Abu Bilal al-Mainuki.
Mainok was said to have developed close ties with the Buduma after relocating to the Lake Chad area around 2014, helping ISWAP expand its influence across difficult-to-access areas of the region.
Mainok was killed in May during a joint Nigerian-American counter-terrorism operation announced by US President Donald Trump. His death was followed by Ba Shuwa’s emergence as ISWAP leader and an alleged purge of fighters suspected of disloyalty.
The departure of Buduma’s faction could affect ISWAP’s ability to confront Bakura’s Boko Haram faction while also creating challenges for the group’s operations across the Lake Chad waterways.
It also presents a leadership challenge for Ba Shuwa, whose reported efforts to prevent defections have coincided with the departure of a major fighting unit with deep local knowledge of the terrain.
Recent accounts from former ISWAP fighters interviewed by HumAngle in Maiduguri indicate that internal disputes have become a significant source of pressure on the group, alongside its continuing conflict with Boko Haram and military operations against both factions.
The former fighters said clashes between rival factions had resulted in the deaths of experienced commanders and fighters, weakened some operational units, disrupted supply networks and increased suspicion within ISWAP.
Their accounts portray an insurgent group facing simultaneous pressure from internal power struggles and its longstanding rivalry with Boko Haram.
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