On 2 April 2026, fighters from the Islamic State in the Sahel Province (ISSP) attacked a position held by the al-Qaeda-linked group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) in the Tillaberi region of western Niger. This marks the first time clashes between the two groups had extended beyond Mali and Burkina Faso. ISSP stated it had killed 35 JNIM operatives and seized weapons and motorbikes, saying the attack came in response to a prior JNIM attack on a village in Tillaberi. The two groups have clashed hundreds of times since 2019, resulting in more than 2,100 deaths according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project. JNIM did not issue a statement on the incident. An ACLED senior analyst stated that the expansion of the rivalry between the two groups highlights limited state control across much of the Sahel, and warned the competition would likely continue to fuel recruitment, expansion, and violence.
Date: April 9, 2026. Source: straitstimes.com