Jihadist violence spiked significantly in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last year, even as overall global terrorism-related deaths fell to their lowest levels in a decade. A recent report highlighted that Nigeria experienced the largest increase in terrorism deaths worldwide in 2025, with fatalities soaring by 46% from 513 in 2024 to 750. This grim statistic positions Nigeria fourth in the Global Terrorism Index, trailing only Pakistan, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
Africa's most populous nation is grappling with a complex security crisis. It faces threats from extremist groups such as Boko Haram and its splinter factions, which are actively attempting to seize control over various territories. Moreover, various ethnic militias and criminal groups, including notorious "bandit" factions, have been wreaking havoc primarily across northern and central regions of Nigeria. New and emerging threats, like the Lakurawa group, add to the already precarious situation. Originally reported by The Guardian.
One of the most devastating incidents occurred in February when 162 individuals were brutally killed in Kwara state near the Benin Republic border, marking one of the deadliest attacks in Nigeria's recent history. In a separate incident earlier this week, the Nigerian army reported that troops, with air support, successfully repelled a coordinated assault by Islamist insurgents on a military base in the northeastern Borno state. This operation resulted in the deaths of at least 80 insurgents, including several senior commanders. This counteroffensive follows a series of suicide bombings in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno, that claimed at least 23 lives and left more than 100 injured.
DRC Faces Escalating Terrorism Threats
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the situation is similarly dire. The nation witnessed a nearly 28% rise in terrorism-related fatalities in 2025, escalating from 365 to 467 deaths, which marked its worst ranking yet at eighth place on the Global Terrorism Index. The surge in violence has been largely attributed to the activities of the Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which has been responsible for a series of brutal attacks in the region.
The alarming rise in violence in Nigeria and the DRC sharply contrasts with the global trend. According to the report produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), global deaths from terrorism decreased by 28% to 5,582, while the total number of attacks dropped by nearly 22%. Interestingly, there was a notable 280% increase in terrorism-related deaths in Western nations, with 57 fatalities reported in 2025. The United States alone recorded 28 deaths from terrorist activities, the highest figure since 2019. This uptick is increasingly attributed to youth radicalization and the actions of lone-wolf actors.
Shifting Strategies Among Terrorist Groups
Steve Killelea, founder of IEP, emphasized a concerning trend: "Viewed in totality, these trends point to one sobering conclusion: a fracturing world order risks erasing the hard-fought gains made against terrorism over the past decade." More than half of all terrorism deaths worldwide in 2025 occurred in the Sahel region, which is increasingly viewed as the epicenter of global terrorism, despite a decrease when compared to previous years.
In Burkina Faso, where the military junta only controls approximately one-third of the country, fatalities from terrorism saw the largest decline globally, halving in 2025. Civilian casualties in the region also dropped by an impressive 84%. Analysts suggest this shift indicates that the al-Qaida affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) may be intentionally reducing attacks on civilians to gain public support and consolidate territorial control.
Adapting Tactics in Counterinsurgency Efforts
According to Killelea, the tactical shifts observed among jihadist groups can be explained by the "value vs. vulnerability" trade-off. As JNIM expands its territorial control, it increasingly targets high-value military and political figures, rather than indiscriminate civilian attacks. This strategy reflects a broader pattern of jihadists launching coordinated and sophisticated assaults on military bases in the region, particularly as counterinsurgency operations intensify.
In recent years, JNIM has reportedly utilized drones in over 100 incidents across the Sahel. Similarly, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has engaged in 16 drone-related incidents since 2014, with ten involving direct attacks on military targets. Ladd Serwat, an analyst at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), noted that these drone operations often serve intelligence-gathering purposes, preparing for larger ground offensives.
The report highlights a worrying concentration of attacks in border areas, particularly in the Central Sahel tri-border region and the Lake Chad Basin, suggesting that the threat from jihadist violence is far from abating.
Originally reported by The Guardian. View original.