Jihadist violence in Nigeria and DRC rose sharply last year even as global deaths from terror fell | Nigeria
Jihadist violence in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo rose sharply last year even as global deaths from terrorism fell to their lowest level in a decade, according to a new report.
Nigeria records largest increase in terrorism deaths globally in 2025; Deaths rose 46% to 750 from 513 in 2024, placing it fourth on the Global Terrorism Index, behind Pakistan, Burkina Faso and Niger.
Africa’s most populous country is grappling with a multifaceted security crisis as extremist groups such as Boko Haram and its affiliates seek to seize control of vast swathes of territory. Other criminal elements, including various ethnic militias and “bandit” groups, also operate mostly in northern and central Nigeria. Newer threats are also emerging, such as terrorists from the Lakurawa group.
In February, 162 people were massacred in Kwara state, near the border with Benin Republic, in one of the deadliest attacks in the country’s recent history.
On Wednesday, the military said troops backed by air support repelled a coordinated attack by Islamist rebels on a military base in the northeastern state of Borno, killing at least 80 fighters, including senior commanders. The attack comes after several suicide attacks in Borno’s capital, Maiduguri, on Monday, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 100.
Terrorism-related deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo rose nearly 28% in 2025, from 365 to 467, pushing the central African state to eighth place, its worst ranking on the index. The main reason for the increase was the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) affiliated with ISIS.
The rise in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo contrasts with the rest of the world. The index, created by the Australian think tank Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), showed a 28% decrease in deaths globally, falling to 5,582, while a decrease of approximately 22% in total attacks was recorded.
There has been a 280% increase in deaths from terrorism in the West; In 2025, 57 deaths were recorded. 28 people died in the USA due to terrorist attacks; This is the highest figure in the country since 2019. According to the index, the increase is due to the increasing radicalization of young people and lone wolf actors.
“Taken as a whole, these trends point to a sobering conclusion: A fracturing world order risks erasing the hard-fought gains against terrorism made over the past decade,” said IEP founder Steve Killelea.
More than half of the deaths from terrorism worldwide in 2025 occurred in the Sahel, which is seen as the center of global terrorism, although this decreased compared to the previous year. Burkina Faso, where the junta controls only a third of its territory, recorded the biggest drop in deaths from terrorism worldwide, with deaths halved in 2025. Civilian casualties fell by 84%.
Experts said the change showed that the al-Qaeda-linked Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) was deliberately reducing attacks on civilians to win “hearts and minds” and consolidate its territorial gains with increasing sophistication.
Killelea said: “The change in tactics for JNIM is perhaps best explained by the ‘value/vulnerability’ balance. Military forces and political figures are seen as high-value targets. Since JNIM now controls more territory, it is better able to carry out attacks on higher-value targets.”
The tactical shift fits a pattern of jihadists launching coordinated and complex attacks on military bases in the region as counterinsurgency missions increase. JNIM, which frequently launches drones, has used them in more than 100 drone strikes in the Sahel in the last three years. There have also been 16 drone incidents involving the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) since 2014, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED).
“Front [of the ISWAP incidents] “UAVs involved drone strikes and the rest were intelligence gathering or surveillance missions used to prepare ground strikes against military targets,” said Ladd Serwat, ACLED’s senior analyst for Africa.
The report also reveals increased intensity of attacks in border areas, including the Central Sahel triple border region and the Lake Chad Basin.
