And in Nigeria....

Death of Boko Haram's leader spells trouble for Nigeria and its neighbors

Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram terrorist group, is said to have committed suicide in battle. Far from solving a problem for the Nigerian government, his death is likely to further destabilize the region.

    

Several times in the past, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau was declared dead, only to reappear in videos taunting the government of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. Nevertheless, Nigerian security expert Kabir Adamu is fairly sure that this time Shekau was killed. "Every sort of source that could confirm the information has verified that it is true," he told DW.

Boko Haram's rival, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), claimed that Shekau detonated a suicide vest during a gunfight in Sambisa forest on May 18, to avoid being taken prisoner and made to renounce the leadership of his group.

The Nigerian military is showing some reticence, pointing to ongoing investigations to ascertain what happened. But their plan to obtain DNA to prove a death that occurred three weeks ago is not realistic. "He is said to have blown himself up, so any remains will be difficult to get," Adamu said.

Shekau's faction has not confirmed his death either. But this is mainly due to its current state of disarray, which precedes Shekau's purported death. "In the last few months, its commanders have been arrested. Most have either accepted the leadership of ISWAP, or they've been killed," said Adamu, pointing out that in the last couple of years, the number of followers in Shekau's camp has been dwindling at a steady rate, while ISWAP has had no trouble finding recruits.