Africa Conflict-Diplomacy Daily Brief - 26 February, 2026

Executive Assessment

Security conditions across West and Central Africa remain volatile, marked by persistent jihadist violence, fragile ceasefires, and intensified external security engagement.

In Nigeria, mass-casualty attacks in Kebbi and Adamawa underscore the continued operational capability of Lakurawa-linked elements and ISWAP, while Abuja’s urgent pursuit of rotary-wing assets signals pressure on counterinsurgency airpower capacity.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, parallel diplomatic outreach to the United States and France coincides with renewed friction between FARDC and AFC/M23, indicating a widening gap between ceasefire commitments and battlefield realities.

In Burkina Faso and Mali, JNIM activity and ongoing regional military coordination highlight sustained insurgent momentum despite multinational security cooperation efforts.

In Somalia, Puntland’s ISIS-linked arrests and high-level engagement with Türkiye reflect both persistent extremist threats and reliance on external security partnerships during political transition.

Overall, the regional trajectory points to continued hybrid instability: active insurgencies, contested ceasefires, and deepening international security involvement.

NIGERIA

• Armed individuals suspected to be Lakurawa militants raided a mosque in Dadinkowa village, Maiyama LGA, Kebbi State, Nigeria, killing four worshippers and injuring five.

• The Government of Nigeria launched an international procurement process to address urgent airpower requirements; due to cost and urgency considerations, the government prioritized second-hand platforms and initiated discreet contacts with Türkiye for Mi-35, Mi-17, Bell 412, and Airbus H225 helicopters, while President Bola Ahmed Tinubu personally requested aircraft from Germany, assessed surplus helicopters in Saudi Arabia, and continued acquisition talks with the United States for new Viper and Cobra helicopters, temporarily sidelining France’s new helicopter sales efforts.

• Suspected ISWAP militants conducted coordinated large-scale attacks on two towns in Adamawa State, Nigeria, killing at least 18–25 people and abducting a village head.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO

• President Félix Tshisekedi is scheduled to meet AFRICOM Commander General Dagvin Anderson in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; the previously postponed visit is expected to expand the security dimension of the strategic partnership signed on 4 December.

• AFC/M23 issued a statement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo accusing the Congolese army of violating the ceasefire through renewed attacks.

• President Félix Tshisekedi met French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris, where France reaffirmed its commitment to the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

• AFC/M23 forces reportedly recaptured several villages in Masisi territory, Democratic Republic of the Congo, that had previously been taken by the Congolese army and Wazalendo fighters.

BURKINA FASO

• Ministerial delegations from Mali and Niger arrived in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to participate in a strategic meeting aimed at approving the second-year roadmap of the Confederation.

• JNIM claimed responsibility in Burkina Faso for killing one VDP member and seizing rifles and ammunition during an attack on a VDP post in Tchiabouni, and for killing five soldiers and seizing weapons and equipment following clashes with troops in Batouma, Dedougou.

MALI

• UK West Africa Defence Forces Commander Brigadier General Tom Harper visited Mali and held meetings with Malian authorities and key security institutions to sustain military cooperation in counterterrorism and security affairs.

SOMALIA

• Puntland security forces detained two Ethiopian nationals affiliated with ISIS in the Tisjiic area of Bari region, Somalia.

• Puntland President Said Deni met Türkiye’s Ambassador to Somalia, Alper Aktaş, to discuss the deteriorating security situation and ongoing political transition processes in Somalia.