A wave of airstrikes carried out by the Chadian military against jihadist insurgent positions on Lake Chad has left dozens of Nigerian fishermen missing and presumed dead, according to local sources speaking to Agence France-Presse on Sunday.
The cross-border Lake Chad basin, which touches the territories of Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger, has been a hotbed of insurgent activity for more than a decade, with factions of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) controlling large swathes of remote waterways and islands. The latest military operation, which remains ongoing across the region’s scattered marshland and outcroppings, was launched in response to recent deadly attacks on Chadian military personnel by Boko Haram, a local civilian militia member confirmed.
While the final death toll has not been confirmed as search and clearance operations continue, a senior official with the Lake Chad Fishermen’s Union told AFP that initial accounts from survivors indicate at least 40 local fishermen are still unaccounted for after Chadian fighter jets bombed two lake islands controlled by the insurgent group.
“Chadian fighter jets have been bombing Boko Haram-held islands on the Nigerian side of the lake since Friday,” the militia member explained. “There have been huge casualties among the fishing communities that operate in these waters.” The bombing campaign was primarily focused on Shuwa Island, a key jihadist stronghold located at the tri-border intersection of Nigeria, Niger, and Chad, the source added.
Adamu Haladu, a fisherman based in the northeastern Nigerian town of Baga, confirmed the high civilian death toll, noting that most of those killed or missing hail from Doron Baga, a lakeside Nigerian community, and Nigeria’s Taraba State. For years, local fishermen have operated in the rich fishing grounds of the remote lake islands under a de facto arrangement that requires them to pay regular tax to Boko Haram, which in turn provides transport for the fishermen to reach the areas and return with their catch, Haladu confirmed.
As of Sunday, the Chadian military had not released any public statement confirming the operation or addressing the allegations of civilian casualties. The airstrikes come in the wake of two devastating Boko Haram attacks on Chadian troops in the region that killed more than two dozen soldiers, including two senior generals. Chad declared a three-day national period of mourning last week after the fatal ambush of an army patrol on the lake’s islands.
This is not the first time Chadian military operations against Boko Haram have been linked to mass civilian deaths among Nigerian fishing communities. In October 2024, Chadian airstrikes on Tilma Island were accused of killing dozens of Nigerian fishermen, in what was framed as a reprisal attack for a jihadist assault that left 40 Chadian soldiers dead. At the time, Chadian military authorities denied intentionally targeting civilians, despite witness accounts confirming the deaths of civilian fishermen.
Regional efforts to combat insurgent groups in the Lake Chad basin date back to the 1990s, with a multinational joint force reactivated by Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger in 2015 to coordinate counter-insurgency operations. However, the coalition was weakened last year when Niger withdrew following strained diplomatic relations between Niamey’s new military junta and its neighboring governments.