The Islamic State (IS) has turned Africa into its primary battlefield, with its affiliates launching waves of deadly attacks across Nigeria, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mali, and Niger.

About 90 per cent of all IS-related attacks globally now occur on the continent, according to the group’s latest propaganda publication, Naba. Between March 6 and 13, IS claimed responsibility for 28 attacks globally, 25 of them in Africa. The same period saw 59 out of 64 casualties recorded in Africa, with IS’s Central Africa Province (ISCAP) and West Africa Province (ISWAP) accounting for 29 and 27 deaths, respectively.

Additionally, the 486th issue of Naba details multiple assaults on military targets and civilians in the past week. 

IS has been shifting its operations to Africa for years, urging members to migrate to and establish more operational centres on the continent. In its past propaganda, IS has described Africa as a new base for migration (hijra) and holy war (jihad), declaring that its fighters will adopt the same tactics used in Syria and Iraq until they firmly establish their caliphate.

Security analysts warn that Africa’s porous borders, weak governance, and religious/ethnic tensions create a fertile ground for extremist recruitment and expansion. 

As ISWAP, ISCAP, and ISGS continue their expansion, Africa has become the focal point of the group’s global ambitions, with civilians and security forces caught in the crossfire.

Mass civilian casualties in the DRC

In Eastern DRC, ISCAP has escalated attacks, particularly in Ituri, Beni, and North Kivu.

According to the Naba, ISCAP fighters claimed to have killed at least 29 people, mostly civilians, in a series of coordinated attacks over the past week. The terrorists burned 17 houses in multiple villages, beheaded many residents, and abducted several others.

In one particularly gruesome attack in Ituri, ISCAP infiltrated the village of Tchabi, where they killed two individuals with knives. The next day, in Tabora, another attack left three more people dead.

The security situation in North Kivu is already volatile, worsened by the resurgence of the M23 rebel group, reportedly backed by Rwanda. As of early 2025, M23 has captured key cities such as Goma and Bukavu, triggering mass prison escapes. Thousands of freed inmates, including those convicted of violent crimes, now roam free, with some joining jihadist factions. The collapse of law enforcement and rising vigilantism have plunged the region deeper into chaos.

ISCAP is capitalising on this instability, expanding into previously inaccessible areas, and using the power vacuum to recruit fighters. With state control weakening and armed groups multiplying, eastern Congo remains one of Africa’s deadliest conflict zones.

Strikes against military and Wagner forces

In the Sahel, the ISGS continues to exploit security gaps, ambushing government forces and foreign operatives.

The group recently claimed responsibility for an attack on a Nigerien military unit, killing at least one soldier. In another incident, ISGS targeted a joint patrol of Malian forces and Russian Wagner Group operatives with an improvised explosive device (IED), damaging a military vehicle and causing casualties.

The Sahel is witnessing a broader jihadist escalation, with Al-Qaeda-linked groups such as Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) intensifying attacks across Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Clashes between ISGS and JNIM further complicate the region’s security landscape, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence; thousands have been displaced as militant groups impose harsh governance structures in areas they control.

The withdrawal of foreign military forces and diplomatic tensions with neighbouring countries have left local juntas overstretched, creating a security vacuum that these groups have exploited to expand their territories, bringing violence closer to urban centres and neighbouring regions.

The newly formed Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising the military-led governments of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, has ramped up joint security efforts, but so far, it has failed to reverse the jihadist expansion.

ISWAP expands attacks in Nigeria

In Nigeria, ISWAP continues to wage an insurgency, launching fresh attacks on security forces and local defence groups.

According to claims recently published by HumAngle, ISWAP said it attacked a Nigerian Army post in Sabon Gari, Borno State, in the country’s North East, torching parts of the installation and seizing heavy and medium machine guns.

In Yobe State, ISWAP fighters allegedly targeted a member of a civilian joint task force (CJTF) near Gujba, killing him with automatic weapons and setting fire to the homes of three other CJTF members. 

Between 6 and 13 March, the group also engaged security forces in the Lake Chad region, targeting military positions in Malam Fatori and Wagiruko. 

ISWAP claimed to have disabled several military vehicles and seized weapons, though casualty figures remain unverified, local sources told HumAngle that violence in the area has escalated with intensified clashes between insurgents and security forces.

If the current trend persists, the continent will remain the primary theatre for IS’s ambitions, with devastating consequences for millions caught in the crossfire.