French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (R) enter a welcome luncheon at the presidential Blue House in Seoul Friday. Photo by Yonhap
President Lee Jae Myung said Friday he and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to work together to secure the safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and mitigate the broad impact from the war in the Middle East.
Lee addressed concerns over uncertainties in global energy supply chains following summit talks with Macron, during which the two leaders discussed ways to deepen economic ties and strengthen coordination on security issues.
“President Macron and I agreed to share policy-related experiences and strategies in order to jointly address the economic and energy crises triggered by the Middle East war. We also concurred on working together to reduce uncertainty in the global economy,” Lee said during a joint press announcement.
“We confirmed our commitment to bolstering energy security by expanding our cooperation in the nuclear and offshore wind power sectors while collaborating to secure safe maritime transport routes through the Strait of Hormuz,” he added.
Lee said the two leaders also agreed to boost trade and investment with a goal of reaching $20 billion in annual bilateral trade by 2030, up from $15 billion last year.
To boost cooperation across sectors, the two sides signed a series of memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and other documents.
They pledged to expand cooperation in advanced technologies and future industries — including artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum technology — and to establish a ministerial-level joint committee on science and technology.
The two countries also signed a letter of intent on cooperation in critical mineral supply chains, aimed at combining South Korea’s manufacturing capabilities with France’s processing technology and infrastructure.
The state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power signed MOUs with French nuclear firms, Orano and Framatome, as well as a separate MOU with France’s EDF on a joint development of an offshore wind power plant in the southwestern city of Yeonggwang.
Lee expressed hope that the agreements would ensure a stable supply of raw materials for South Korea’s nuclear power plants and lay the groundwork for joint entry into the global market.
He also laid out plans to cooperate in space and defense while pledging efforts to bolster collaboration in the cultural sector in light of an MOU signed between the two nations’ cultural heritage agencies.
During the talks, Lee said he explained Seoul’s efforts to resume dialogue with Pyongyang to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula, while Macron reaffirmed Paris’ support for peace and stability on the peninsula.
“We two leaders shared a profound understanding that peace on the Korean Peninsula has far reaching implications not just in Northeast Asia and Europe but also the rest of the world,” Lee said.
Lee noted that Seoul and Paris have expanded cooperation across a wide range of sectors, including future strategic industries, such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology, space, nuclear energy and defense, and expressed hope to deepen coordination on the international stage.
“As responsible members of the international community, the two countries are also working together to respond to rapid changes in the global landscape,” he said.
Lee said Macron extended a formal invitation to the Group of Seven summit scheduled for June in Evian, France, adding that he accepted the invitation. If he attends, it would mark his second consecutive appearance at the G7, following his participation in Canada last year.
Lee welcomed the two countries’ decision to upgrade ties from “a comprehensive partnership for the 21st century,” established in 2004, to “a global strategic partnership,” calling it “a new milestone” in bilateral relations built on 140 years of trust and friendship.
Macron struck a similar tone, expressing hope to expand cooperation across a broad range of areas, including artificial intelligence, quantum technology, semiconductors, space and culture, under the upgraded partnership.
He said that Seoul and Paris could strengthen security cooperation and work together to help stabilize the situation in the Middle East, including ensuring safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The visit marks Macron’s first trip to South Korea since taking office in 2017 and the first by a French president in 11 years. It comes as the two countries mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations, established with the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation between France and the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
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TURKEY has urged tourists that the country is still safe to visit, after seeing a slight drop in tourism.
The country has not been part of the Iran crisis, and the majority of Turkey – including the tourist resorts – remain safe to travel.
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Turkey officials are urging the country is still safe to travelCredit: GettyPlaces like Antalya, Istanbul and Bodrum have no travel warnings in placeCredit: Getty
Despite this, On The Beach confirmed that they had experienced a drop in demand for destinations like Turkey.
But tourism authorities in Turkey have since confirmed that tourism is “still normal” across the country, which welcomed more than 4.2million Brits last year.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye has teamed up with Türkiye’s Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) to reassure tourists.
They confirmed that “holidays to Turkey are operating as usual, and nothing has changed”.
They added: “Every resort, hotel, excursion and experience is operating as booked – and there have been no closures, disruptions or government-issued restrictions on tourism activity anywhere in the country.”
Not only that but they said “no Turkish airport has been subject to closure, restriction or rerouting due to regional events”.
This includes the popular airports of Istanbul, Antalya Bodrum and Izmir.
And there are some super cheap Turkey holidays on sale right now.
You could spend a week all-inclusive at a Turkish holiday resort for just £199 each, which includes your seven night stay, return flights and your food and drink.
The cheap deal is staying at Ares Dream Hotel in Antalya, according to loveholidays.
Or spend a month for nearly half the cost than the average rent in the UK (£1,368), with a 28-night, all-inclusive stay from £619pp.
Even the summer holidays have cheap deals with seven nights at Hotel Linda in Kas from £469pp in August.
The current UK Foreign Office advice is that all of Turkey is safe to travel to, excluding the border with Syria.
Other bits of travel advice is to always carry around some form of photo ID such as a passport when travelling in Turkey.
Smoking is also banned on all public transport, as well as at bars, restaurants and cafes.
It’s not just Turkey that has seen a drop in tourism due to Iran, despite being safe to visit.
Egypt is seeing a drop in numbers, as well as Cyprus following an RAF base attack.
GREECE is the latest holiday destination seeing a drop in holiday bookings amid the Iran crisis.
In a statement released this week, On The Beach confirmed a number of popular holiday destinations including Greece had seen a drop in demand as a result of growing tensions in the Middle East.
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On The Beach has reported that travellers are not booking holidays to GreeceCredit: Alamy
The announcement came as the online package holiday provider made a statement that it was suspending its profit forecast.
The group said: “Whilst the group has limited exposure to destinations in the Middle East, it has experienced a significant slowdown in demand following the onset of conflict in the region, particularly to destinations such as Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and Egypt.
“The timing of when the conflict will end and the shape of recovery in demand to these destinations are unknown.”
Despite this, the Government currently has no warning against travel to Greece.
And there are other companies, such as TUI, that have seen increased interest in Greece (along with Portugal and Spain)as “customers opt for familiar destinations”, reports The Times.
Taking to Reddit, travellers currently in Greece have shared what it is like.
One person commented: “I’m in Athens currently and it’s very crowded, also it feels perfectly safe.”
Another person said: “I live in Peloponnese, southern tip on the coast of Greece.
“We’ve been hearing a ton of military planes flying around us the last few days.
“They are definitely preparing for the worst but we are not scared at all.”
Earlier this month, the RAF Akrotiri base on Cyprus was hit by an Iranian drone.
As a result, there was a temporary closure of Paphos Airport, with flights being cancelled.
Despite this, Cyprus remains on the safe to travel list with the Foreign Office warning: “Regional escalation poses significant security risks and has led to travel disruption.”
Current guidance includes monitoring local and international media and signing up for local information alerts and resources.
Current Government advice lists Greece as safe to travel toCredit: Alamy
However, similar to Greece, Cyprus has also seen a drop in tourism.
Local businesses have expressed how people are “thinking twice” about visiting, with a number of hoteliers saying that bookings are down across March and April.
Cyprus’ foreign minister Constantinos Kombos told the BBC: “I don’t think that anyone should be in two minds, given the fact that the situation, as I have been describing right now as we speak, has been perfectly normal.
“All activity is normal. Air traffic is going back to 100 per cent what it was before the incident.
“So I don’t think this is something that should be affecting people’s decisions.
“And the security factor in terms of people feeling that everything is being done that is humanly possible to protect both citizens, residents, and visitors to Cyprus.”
CYPRUS has been drawn into the Iran conflict – which has had a knock on effect on holidays.
The European country was hit by an Iranian drone earlier this month, after landing on RAF Akrotiri base on the island.
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Brits are cancelling their holidays to Cyprus despite it still being safe for travelCredit: GettyThe country is the only one in Europe to have been drawn directly into the Iran crisisCredit: Alamy
Local business owner Vassilis Georgiou told the Guardian that people are “thinking twice” about visiting.
He explained: “It may be early days but I’ve been here since 1992 and suddenly hoteliers are saying bookings are down.”
Nick Aristou, who owns three hotels in Cyprus, said they’d had around 200 cancellations this month.
He told the i: “Most of the cancellations, I would say about 90 per cent, are all for March, about 10 per cent for April.”
And Thanos Hotels’ Panos Kyprianou, with four hotels on the island, said cancellations were coming from Brits with 65 cancellations for April.
Hr added: “Right now, April, is about 10 per cent behind what it was last year.”
But Agia Napa Municipal Sectary Mr Fotos Kikillos said while they were “hearing of cancellations” he reaffirmed that life was still “very safe” on the island.
He added: “People are enjoying themselves – there’s no sense of fear. The last thing we want in Cyprus is to be dragged into this war.”
With the tourist season officially starting in the beginning of April, it is expected that everything will be back to normal on the island, despite fears of summer cancellations.
Last week, Cyprus’ foreign minster Constantinos Kombos told the BBC: “I don’t think that anyone should be in two minds, given the fact that the situation, as I have been describing right now as we speak, has been perfectly normal.
“All activity is normal. Air traffic is going back to 100 per cent what it was before the incident.
“So I don’t think this is something that should be affecting people’s decisions.”
“After all, this is part of the regional situation. It’s not the Republic of Cyprus that has been targeted. It has been the British bases.
“And the security factor in terms of people feeling that everything is being done that is humanly possible to protect both citizens, residents, and visitors to Cyprus. The security apparatus is in place to try to do exactly that.”
Cyprus is one of the more affordable areas of Europe to visit, especially now.
According to Cirium, there are around 125 scheduled flights from the UK to Cyprus over the Easter holidays, working out to 25,000 passengers.
HOLIDAYS to Dubai have been left in chaos following the Iran conflict, with thousands of flights cancelled after a number of drone attacks on the city in recent weeks.
So here is everything you need to know right now about travelling to the UAE city.
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Here’s everything you need to know about travelling to Dubai right nowCredit: Getty
Is it safe to travel to Dubai right now?
Dubai remains on the no travel list, unless it is essential.
The UK Foreign Office states: “FCDO advises against all but essential travel to United Arab Emirates.
“Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).”
While this isn’t outright ban against all travel, essential travel doesn’t usually mean holidays, but is instead things like work or essential family travel.
Emirates said: “Following the partial re‑opening of regional airspace, Emirates is operating a reduced flight schedule.
“Customers transiting in Dubai will only be accepted for travel if their connecting flight is operating.
“Please do not go to the airport unless you hold a confirmed booking for these flights.”
Virgin Atlantic briefly restarted flights from both Dubai to the UK.
However, a recent 16-hour ‘flight to nowhere’ which was forced to return to London Heathrow has led to the airline scrapping flights until the end of the season (March 28).
British Airways is also unable to operate flights to Dubai, and only has limited flights from Oman to London Heathrow.
Anyone flying with British Airways to Dubai up to March 15 can request a full refund, or change the flight date for free up to March 29.
Other areas in the Middle East such as Doha and Abu Dhabi are still being affected.
Qatar Airways is operating one flight a day to and from London Heathrow to Doha but warns that “scheduled flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace”.
Etihad is operating limited flights to London Heathrow and Manchester from Abu Dhabi, but also warns that “all other scheduled commercial services to and from Abu Dhabi remain suspended.”
All non-essential travel to Dubai is still advised againstCredit: Alamy
What if I have a holiday to Dubai booked?
Most tour operators will allow Brits to cancel their holidays to Dubai for a full refund, or offer an alternative option, due to it being on the ‘only essential travel” list.
While this is not mandatory, many are cancelling holidays nonetheless.
Loveholidays is cancelling all holidays up to March 15 either to Dubai or ones that are travelling via Dubai.
They explained:”We’ve made the decision to cancel all holidays departing up to and including 15 March 2026 to countries currently on the FCDO ‘all but essential travel’ list
“This includes holidays with a connecting flight via one of these countries.
“Our team has begun processing full refunds for affected bookings in departure date order and will contact you directly with further information.”
Refunds will be processed in 3-5 working days.
They are also allowing anyone with Emirates flights up to March 31 to cancel their holidays for a full refund, while anyone flying to Dubai with Virgin Atlantic up until March 31 will have their holidays cancelled.
They are not selling any holidays to Dubai up until May, although June holidays remain unaffected.
TUI‘s latest Dubai update was on Friday, saying: “If you are due to travel to the UAE, or are scheduled to transit through, within the next seven days, our pre-travel team will contact you ahead of your departure date to discuss your options.”
On the Beach has cancelled all holidays to the UAE until tomorrow with full refunds although this is likely to be extended.
Two children he found while fleeing the Ngoshe attack clung to his hands, struggling to keep up as they stumbled across the uneven ground. Behind them, armed terrorists pursued, closing in.
From the distance, smoke rises, and shouts echo. The children stumbled again. Solomon Ali Talake pulled them and kept running. He could not run at full speed, and yet the terrorists would kill him if they caught up. So, he made a quick decision.
“Run that way,” he told the children, pointing toward the bush, while he turned in the opposite direction. He was spotted, however. He darted behind a tree, his chest pounding.
For a moment, he froze there, whispering a prayer under his breath.
Some hours before, Solomon could not have imagined that his life would change so completely. He is a primary school teacher in Ngoshe, a community in Borno, northeastern Nigeria, where he spends his days teaching pupils to read and write. On the evening of March 3, his routine unfolded like it always had. He returned home from school, sat with his family in the compound, and had dinner.
Then the gunfire began.
Terrorists stormed Ngoshe that evening, attacking a military base before spreading through the town, setting houses ablaze. Reports say the attackers killed over 100 and abducted over 300 more, but survivors said the casualty is too many to count. They said the assault, which lasted for several hours, forced thousands to flee the community that had been resettled only a few years ago as part of the government’s post-conflict programme.
“They attacked around 6:25 p.m.,” Solomon recalled.
His house sits close to the military base, so the first sounds came from there. The attackers, he said, struck the base before moving toward the community.
The military returned fire, according to Maina Bukar, another resident of Ngoshe who is now displaced in Maiduguri. “But they were overpowered, so they withdrew.”
When residents saw soldiers pulling back from the base, panic spread through the village. Families ran in every direction, but the terrorists followed. They caught up with some people and opened fire. Others were cut down as they tried to escape.
Solomon ran towards the bush, along the path leading to Pulka. The terrorists pursued and almost caught up. He hid behind a tree, three houses away from home. The terrorists spotted him but got distracted by movements in a nearby house. They rushed in to search.
Solomon seized the moment. “I climbed the tree and hid among the branches,” he recalled. “I remained there throughout the night.” The sound of the chaos echoed through the night.
Hours earlier, the village had been filled with children returning from school, farmers preparing their evening meals, and Muslim families preparing to break their fast.
The sounds of the attack did not remain confined to Ngoshe. Residents in Pulka, about ten kilometres away, also heard the gunfire.
“We heard it as soon as it happened,” said Muhammad Tela, a resident of Pulka.
Pulka sits close to Ngoshe, separated largely by a stretch of land and the hills of the Mandara Mountains. Both communities are towns in the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
“Ngoshe to Pulka is about a 25-minute drive because of the condition of the road,” Maina explained.
The two communities are closely connected. Every Tuesday and Friday, traders from Ngoshe travel to Pulka for trade under military escort, Maina said.
On the night of March 3, however, the market routes fell silent.
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For Solomon’s family, returning to Ngoshe once felt like the beginning of a new chapter.
In October 2020, the Borno State government resettled displaced people in the town after rebuilding homes, schools, clinics, and other public facilities destroyed by Boko Haram insurgents in their violent and prolonged effort to topple democracy and establish what they believe to be an Islamic state. The activities of the terror group has killed over 35,000 people and displaced millions.
The Borno State government’s move was presented as part of a broader transition into what officials described as a post-conflict recovery phase. Solomon’s father, Ali Talake, believed in that promise.
Years earlier, when the insurgents first overran Ngoshe and neighbouring communities, he had fled across the border into Cameroon. From there, he eventually made his way to Maiduguri, where he lived inside the Federal Government College, volunteering as a security guard.
But his thoughts rarely left Ngoshe.
“My father was a farmer and a livestock rearer,” Solomon said.
When news spread that the government had begun resettling displaced residents, Ali Talake decided it was time to return. “We returned to Ngoshe on October 15, 2020,” Solomon said. Like many others, the family began rebuilding their lives there.
For six years, Ngoshe once again stood as home.
The community had access to basic facilities. “There is a clinic,” Maina said. “There are doctors and drugs.” The town also had clean water and schools.
Security presence was also significant. Residents say the formation consisted of personnel from the military and volunteer outfits like the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), Nigeria Forest Security Services (NFSS), and surrendered terrorists, popularly called “the hybrid.” Solomon said there were about 300 soldiers stationed in Ngoshe. Maina corroborated this. In addition, “there are about 400 personnel of the CJTF, NFSS, and vigilantes,” he said. Before the attack, Maina estimated, about 10,000 people lived in the community.
“They patrol the town at night,” he said of the security operatives. “They would start patrolling by 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. the next morning.”
Despite that, residents said they did not always feel safe.
Photo of a burnt residence during the March 3 attack in Ngoshe. Credit: Survivors of the incident.
The town had faced insecurity before. “A similar major one [attack] happened on June 21, 2025,” Solomon recalled. Like in the recent attack, the community was overrun. “They did not kill anyone or burn buildings during that attack,” Solomon said.
Security later improved, and the town gradually returned to normal. But residents, especially farmers, could rarely venture beyond one kilometre from the town, Maina said. “Those who go beyond that are often abducted or killed by terrorists.”
For large-scale cultivation, people often travelled to Monguno and communities on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the state capital, such as Jakana. Adamu Zakariya, a resident of Ngoshe who had returned to Maiduguri months earlier to harvest his crops, agreed. “After harvest, we would return with the crops to Ngoshe,” he said. But this time, he decided to remain in Maiduguri because of a security job he recently got, while his family stayed in Ngoshe.
“Two weeks ago, they abducted some girls who had gone behind the mountains to gather firewood,” Maina said. “No ransom was demanded, and they were never returned. We later heard they had been married off, including a 12-year-old.”
Young boys were also at risk. “They would kill young boys who go out of town,” Maina said.
Before the recent Ngoshe attack, some residents had heard rumours. “Although we don’t know the authenticity, there were rumours that the terrorists would come to break their fast with us,” Solomon recalled. Such rumours circulated within the community and even reached security personnel. Some residents relocated. Others stayed.
The night of the violence
From the top of the tree Solomon climbed, he could see the village below. “They burnt all our houses, including my own room. I saw them,” he said. The attackers moved through the settlement, setting homes ablaze and pursuing residents who tried to escape.
At one point, several terrorists gathered beneath the tree where Solomon was hiding. “They were arguing,” he said. He held his breath and prayed. “I asked God to cause confusion so they would not look up.”
One of the fighters suggested firing at the tree. “Let me have this gun and scatter this tree,” Solomon remembered him saying. Another replied, “No, just leave it.” A third asked for a torch to check the branches. Again, someone stopped him. The men eventually moved away.
From his hiding place, Solomon said he saw about 27 attackers moving through the area. Some carried cutlasses and knives, others held guns. He recognised rifles such as AK-47s, although some weapons were unfamiliar to him.
Maina and his family also fled towards Pulka when the attack began.
“They came on motorcycles,” Maina said of the attackers. “Bullets were flying everywhere. The whole place was lit with gunfire.”
He arrived Pulka around 1 a.m., barefoot.
Media reports of March 6 state that a yet-to-be-identified terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, testimonies from survivors revealed that the attack is suspected to have involved terrorists from both the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Jama’atu Ahlussunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad (JAS).
“Those who attacked the military base left immediately after taking vehicles and weapons,” Solomon said. They withdrew toward the direction of Pulka but veered into the bush before reaching the town.
“It was those on the mountain who attacked the community,” Solomon said, referring to JAS fighters based in the Mandara Mountains. “Afterwards, they climbed back up.”
For the JAS terrorists, residents believe the attack may have been retaliation. On Dec. 19, 2025, the Nigerian Army announced that troops of Operation Hadin Kai had killed a terrorist commander and several fighters in the Mandara Mountains the previous day. Maina said the commander was later beheaded by members of the CJTF.
“They cut the heads of some of them,” Solomon said of the soldiers killed during the recent attack. “I was told they killed about ten soldiers.”
Adamu said some former JAS members who had previously surrendered were living in Ngoshe with their families. “When those members of JAS from Ngoshe attacked the town with their colleagues, they took away some of their family members,” he said. “Especially young men and women of reproductive age.”
He added that the attackers also killed some who had previously defected from the group. Tracking and killing defectors has been a recurring tactic among the JAS terror group. In November 2025, HumAngle reported cases of former terrorists being tracked and assassinated across Borno.
“The terrorists took what they could carry from the military armoury and set what they could not carry ablaze,” Maina said.
“It was said the soldiers from Pulka drove into buried mines on the way to Ngoshe,” he said. “Two of the soldiers were my friends. One died, and the other was injured.”
The road between the towns has long been dangerous. “The terrorists dig holes along the road and bury mines inside them,” Maina said.
The use of roadside explosives has become increasingly common in recent months. In April 2025, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted along the Maiduguri-Damboa road killed at least seven passengers and injured several others.
Muhammad said soldiers from Pulka remained near the border and helped injured survivors reach the hospital in Pulka.
On March 6, Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, condemned the attack, describing it as a “heartless assault on helpless citizens.” The president then charged “the military and other security agencies to work urgently to rescue those kidnapped by the terrorists.” As well as “intensify their efforts to protect civilians nationwide and prevent attacks on military installations in the North East.”
At dawn, Solomon saw the attackers switch on a generator and begin the call to prayer. He realised it might be his chance to escape.
“I climbed down at 5:10 a.m. and ran,” he said. “When I heard them saying they would check trees and uncompleted buildings after burning the houses, I knew I had to leave when I got the chance.”
He hid again until about 6 a.m.
The morning after
Fleeing residents of Ngoshe on the outskirts of Pulka on March 4th waiting for aid. Credit: Survivors of the incident.
By 7:10 a.m., he had reached Pulka, where many survivors had gathered.
“Most people came barefoot,” Muhammad Tela said. “Others carried the elderly on push carts. Some even brought the corpses of loved ones.”
Many arrived carrying whatever they could salvage: bags of clothes, goats, and small belongings gathered in haste. Others fled further: toward Maiduguri, Cameroon, and Abuja.
Media reports later suggested that about 100 people were killed and more than 300 abducted. Survivors say the numbers are difficult to confirm.
“They cannot be quantified,” Maina said. “But the people I reached Pulka with and those we met at the entrance, including women, children and the elderly, were about 2,000 from my estimation.”
Solomon saw two children being abducted while they were fleeing.
Two of Solomon’s nephews were also taken during the attack. One is 14 years old and the other is 11.
Fleeing residents of Ngoshe on the outskirts of Pulka on March 4, waiting for aid. Credit: Survivors of the incident.
Later, when soldiers briefly returned to Ngoshe, Solomon returned as well. His father had been killed. “He was 68,” he said. From his father’s body, Solomon collected two small items: a cap and a wallet.
“They are something to remember him with,” he said. Victims like Solomon’s father were buried two days later in a mass burial.
The new fear
Recent months have seen a wave of attacks by ISWAP fighters across Borno, particularly targeting security formations.
A member of the Nigerian Forest Security Service (NFSS) said terrorists attacked a military base in Konduga on March 5 and burned several buildings. The base, located near an area known as “High Bridge,” lies close to Malari.
According to him, the terrorists killed several soldiers and took away vehicles and weapons.
Earlier, on Feb. 14, terrorists attacked a military base in Pulka. Two days later, troops launched a counter-operation that reportedly killed a commander and recovered ₦37 million. On Feb. 5, terrorists attacked a military base in Auno, a community close to Maiduguri along the Maiduguri-Damaturu road, according to a military source who asked not to be named. On Jan. 26, terrorists attacked a military base in Damasak, killing seven soldiers and capturing 13 others, including their commanding officer. Eleven managed to escape.
Earlier, on Nov. 14, 2025, terrorists ambushed a military convoy along the Damboa-Biu road. Two soldiers and two CJTF members were killed. Brigadier General M. Uba, the Brigade Commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade, was abducted and later killed. On Nov. 20 of the same year, they attacked a CJTF base in Warabe, killing eight people and leaving three others missing. And on Dec. 25, a suicide bomber detonated at a mosque in the Gamboru Market area of Maiduguri. Five people were killed, and 35 others were injured.
Terrorists have also targeted reconstruction projects.
On Jan. 28, about 30 construction workers were killed in Sabon Gari, Damboa. Earlier, on Nov. 17, 2025, workers fled after terrorists stormed a construction site in Mayanti, Bama.
Resettled communities have also come under repeated attack. On Sept. 5, 2025, fighters attacked Darajama in Bama, killing at least 63 people, including five soldiers, and burning about 24 houses. Many residents fled again.
Umara Ibrahim, a professor of International Relations and Strategic Studies at the University of Maiduguri, said the attacks may be intended to undermine government resettlement efforts.
“Because their movements are observed and monitored, and perhaps challenged, it is not in their interest for resettlement to proliferate,” he told HumAngle in a February interview.
He added that such violence may also serve a political purpose. “It may be a way to counter government efforts by shaping public perception that the authorities cannot be trusted on security,” he said.
Pulka itself had once been abandoned when insurgents seized the town. After the military retook it in 2017, residents gradually returned. More recently, the government resettled refugees from Cameroon there. On Jan. 28, the government resettled about 300 Nigerian refugees from Cameroon. On Feb. 8, it resettled 680 more.
But the Ngoshe attack has revived old fears. “People don’t feel secure,” Muhammad said. “They think the community could be displaced again. Everyone is thinking about where to go.”
Communication also became difficult. For several days, residents said, there was no network across Gwoza, leaving families struggling to confirm whether relatives were alive.
Photo of a burnt resident during the March 3 attack in Ngoshe. Credit: Survivors of the incident.
Adamu’s brothers later travelled from Maiduguri to Pulka to retrieve their displaced relatives. Maina did not remain in Pulk as his parents urged him to leave immediately for Maiduguri. Still, he worries about those left behind. He believes the community needs stronger security.
In the days that followed, Solomon also travelled to Maiduguri. Though he is the seventh child in his family, he is now the only available adult son able to organise their next steps. His stepmother and siblings remain displaced.
“I am looking for a house to rent so I can bring them here,” he said. Looking back, Solomon says he had always worried about returning to Ngoshe.
“We had no neighbouring villages,” he said. “We were surrounded by bushes and mountains.” Sometimes, he warned his family. “One day these people might take over,” he recalled telling them. Now the village has emptied again.
And Solomon, a teacher who once spent his days in a quiet classroom, is searching for shelter in a distant city while carrying the memory of a night he survived by hiding in a tree.
Brits travelling from the UK to parts of Egypt on the safe list are not being affected.
Some flights from the Middle East to Egypt, such as from Dubai to Doha, are still being disrupted.
However, this wont affected anyone travelling to Egypt from the UK.
What if I have a holiday to Egypt booked?
Package holidays to Egypt are currently unaffected by the Iran crisis.
As Egypt is deemed safe to travel to, tour operators are not obligated to give you a refund if you decide to cancel.
You will be left out of pocket if you decide not to travel to Egypt.
Some cruise companies have cancelled upcoming routes out of caution due to the ongoing conflict.
Viking has cancelled its Nile River cruises until the end of March, along with Avalon Waterways.
And Intrepid has cancelled all Egypt trips up until the end of March.
The Sun’s Head of Travel Lisa Minot explains: “It is very understandable that travellers would be a little nervous of the proximity of Egypt to the current crisis.
“However, Hurghada and Marsa Alam are hundreds of miles away from the conflict zone and holidays there should not be impacted at all.
