ISWAP fighters riding in pairs on more than a dozen motorcycles attacked Fulani herders who were grazing their cattle in Gudumbali forest, approximately 95 km (60 miles) from the regional capital Maiduguri. The terrorists killed 25 herders, with most victims shot while a few were hacked to death. The jihadists had previously ordered them to vacate the area, accusing them of passing information about militant activities to the military. The attackers left without taking anything from the dead herders.
25 Jul 2023 · Gudumbali forest, Kukawa, Borno
Deaths
25
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
25
Perpetrators
ISWAP
Response
Anti-jihadist militia (Civilian Joint Task Force) evacuated and buried the dead on Wednesday, 26 July. A militia member, Umar Ari, participated in the evacuation and burial.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
This incident fits a long-standing pattern of ISWAP and Boko Haram targeting civilians, including herders, farmers, loggers, fishermen, and metal scrap collectors, accusing them of passing information to the military and local militia. The Gudumbali attack reflects a pattern of ISWAP enforcing territorial control through violence against herders.
Trajectory
The herders were accused of passing information to the military, suggesting ISWAP views civilian economic activities as potential intelligence threats. The terrorists had previously ordered them to vacate the area, indicating an attempt to control access to grazing land and resources in the Lake Chad region.
Cycle notes
This incident mirrored earlier ISWAP and Boko Haram attacks targeting herders and other rural economic actors accused of collaboration with security forces, including the 22 December 2019 Gasarwa highway executions (Nganzai LGA), where civilians were screened, separated, and killed based on perceived affiliations; the 28 November 2020 Zabarmari (Jere LGA) massacre of farmers, where victims were executed after being accused of passing information to the military; the 19 November 2017 Dimge (Mafa LGA) farmers’ execution, involving restrained killings; and the 2019–2022 Lake Chad basin attacks on fishermen and herders, where insurgents repeatedly targeted civilians engaged in livelihood activities under allegations of espionage, collectively reflecting a recurring pattern in which insurgents enforce territorial control through selective, punitive killings of civilians suspected of intelligence-sharing.
Pattern
Herders Targeting
Related — Armed Attack
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