ISWAP factional leader flees to Mali
Umar Leni, a factional leader of the so-called Islamic State West Africa Province, has fled to Mali, after a bloody showdown over the sharing of money with two other factions.
AFP reported that the fight broke out in the village of Blantougou in Niger Republic before spilling over the border into Nigeria.
Scores of the fighters were reportedly killed in the gun battle on July 26, exposing divisions inside ISWAP, three sources with deep knowledge of the faction’s internal workings said.
The disagreement centred on sharing income mainly generated by taxing cattle herders and fishermen in areas the jihadists control around Lake Chad, said the sources, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons.
Leni was the tax chief and he reportedly escaped with the money.
“There was heavy fighting between the three factions which left scores from all sides killed,” one of the sources said.
“They could not agree on a sharing formula after six days of disagreement and resorted to fighting,” he said.
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The infighting is just the latest to hit the factious jihadist insurgency that has torn apart northeastern Nigeria and crossed into neighbouring countries over the past decade.
ISWAP broke away from Boko Haram in 2016 in part due to its rejection of indiscriminate attacks on civilians.
Last year the group witnessed a reported takeover by more hardline fighters who sidelined its leader and executed his deputy.
The IS-affiliate has since July 2018 ratcheted up a campaign of attacks against military targets.
A military source in the region told AFP they were “closely monitoring” the reported clashes within the jihadist group.
ISWAP has sought to fill the void left by the collapse of government authority in the areas it controls by offering basic medical service and providing security, sources and analysts say.
It imposes taxes on cattle herders and charges fishermen for permission to access Lake Chad, sources said.
In 2017 the Nigerian military banned fishing in Lake Chad which it said was being used by jihadists as a source of funding — but fishermen have continued to smuggle their catch to local markets.
Sources said the jihadists are looking to raise cash to buy ammunition for heavy weaponry looted from the Nigerian army.
