Jihadist violence in Nigeria and DRC rose sharply last year even as global deaths from terror fell

"Nigeria recorded the largest increase in terrorism deaths globally in 2025, with fatalities rising by 46% from 513 in 2024 to 750, placing it fourth in the Global Terrorism Index, behind Pakistan, Burkina Faso and Niger. Africa's most populous nation is grappling with a multifaceted security crisis as extremist groups such as Boko Haram and its offshoots attempt to carve out control of swathes of territory."

"In February, 162 people were massacred in Kwara state near the border with the Benin Republic, one of the deadliest single attacks in the country's recent history. On Wednesday the army said troops backed by air support had repelled a coordinated assault by Islamist insurgents on a military base in the north-eastern state of Borno, killing at least 80 fighters including senior commanders."

"In the DRC, terrorism-related deaths rose by nearly 28% in 2025, increasing from 365 to 467 and pushing the central African state to eighth place on the index, its worst ranking. The rise was primarily driven by the IS-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces."

Nigeria recorded the largest increase in terrorism deaths globally in 2025, with fatalities rising 46% from 513 to 750, placing it fourth on the Global Terrorism Index. The country faces a multifaceted security crisis involving extremist groups like Boko Haram and its offshoots, ethnic militias, criminal bandit groups, and emerging threats from the Lakurawa group. Notable attacks include a February massacre of 162 people in Kwara state and recent suicide bombings in Maiduguri killing at least 23. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, terrorism-related deaths rose nearly 28% from 365 to 467, driven primarily by the IS-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces, pushing the nation to eighth place on the Global Terrorism Index. These regional increases contrast with declining global terrorism deaths.

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