Nigeria: the bombing of Jilli reignites the debate on the conduct of the anti-terrorism fight in the Sahel

On Saturday, April 11, 2026, an air raid by the Nigerian army struck the village of Jilli in Yobe State, northeastern Nigeria, resulting in the deaths of more than a hundred civilians according to Amnesty International. The toll reports at least 35 serious injuries, many of whom were evacuated to hospitals in Geidam and Maiduguri, where at least eight other people succumbed to their injuries the following day. A local official, Lawan Zanna Nur, reported a total of around 200 victims, dead and injured combined, a figure that illustrates the devastating scale of this strike. The Nigerian army did not immediately respond to requests for comments from AFP.

This tragedy occurs within the context of an asymmetric war that has been ongoing for seventeen years. The Boko Haram insurgency, launched in 2009, has gradually mutated into a complex conflict involving several factions, the most formidable of which is now the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP). According to an intelligence source interviewed by AFP, the Jilli market was "entirely controlled by Boko Haram, which ensured security and collected taxes from traders." This information suggests that the army was targeting a major logistical infrastructure of the guerrilla, but the choice to strike a densely populated civilian market raises fundamental questions about the rules of engagement and respect for international humanitarian law.

Northeastern Nigeria is not an isolated case in the security landscape of the Sahel and West Africa. Since the beginning of 2026, the region has seen a remarkable intensification of military operations and violence. In Sudan, the civil war between the regular army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continues to tear the country apart. On January 13, an RSF drone raid on a military base in Sinja, in the southeast of the country, killed 27 people. On January 16, Chad announced the death of seven soldiers in a clash at the Sudanese border, attributed to the RSF. On January 15, clashes between the Chadian army and the rebel group MPRD resulted in at least six deaths in the south of the country.

U.S. policy in Africa has also undergone a significant shift. In January 2026, the United States announced an enhancement of its military cooperation with Nigeria as part of an expanded strategy targeting groups affiliated with the Islamic State on the continent. According to The Defense Post, Washington has increased its deliveries of equipment and intelligence sharing with Abuja. At the same time, U.S. Africa Command has intensified its airstrikes against Al-Shabaab and the Islamic State in Somalia. A $70 million runway extension project has been launched at a military base in Kenya, near the Somali border, reflecting the enduring presence of the U.S. military in East Africa.

The tragedy of Jilli serves as a reminder that the fight against terrorism in the Sahel faces a persistent dilemma: how to conduct effective military operations against armed groups that blend into civilian populations without causing massive collateral damage? The precedent is heavy. In Mali, airstrikes by the French army and then by the Malian military junta have been repeatedly accused of causing dozens of civilian casualties, each time fueling resentment among local populations and, paradoxically, recruitment by armed groups. In Burkina Faso, self-defense militias and army operations have also been criticized by human rights organizations.

The situation in Nigeria is particularly concerning as the country has the largest army in Africa in terms of personnel and benefits from increasing Western support. The Nigerian army's intelligence, planning, and air operation capabilities have improved over the years, but incidents of friendly fire or strikes on civilians remain frequent. The attack on Jilli occurs in a context where Nigerian authorities had claimed significant progress in the fight against Boko Haram and ISWAP, asserting that they had pushed the insurgents back to marginal areas. The reality on the ground appears more nuanced: armed groups continue to control territorial pockets, exploit markets, and collect taxes, indicating a capacity for adaptation and entrenchment that goes beyond mere military frameworks.

The scale of civilian casualties in Jilli should rekindle calls for greater transparency in the conduct of counter-terrorism operations in Nigeria. Amnesty International has called for an independent investigation, joining the recurring recommendations of the United Nations and several international NGOs. The stakes go beyond the legal framework: each deadly strike on civilians reinforces the narrative of armed groups, who exploit these incidents to legitimize their presence and opposition to central governments. In a Sahel already weakened by coups, endemic poverty, and competition among foreign powers, the question of protecting civilian populations is not only ethical but also strategic.

Furthermore, the emergence of private security actors and autonomous military technologies on the continent adds a layer of complexity. The Nigerian company Terra Industries raised $34 million in February 2026 to develop autonomous systems for security operations in Africa, a trend that raises questions about the legal framework governing these new capabilities. The following week, it was revealed that nearly a thousand Kenyans had been recruited into the Russian army, confirming that Africa has become a recruitment ground for conflicts that far exceed its borders.

The bombing of Jilli is unlikely to remain an isolated incident. As long as Sahelian states do not possess sufficiently precise intelligence capabilities to distinguish fighters from civilians, and as long as military responses continue to be prioritized over a comprehensive approach that includes development, governance, and dialogue, the cycle of violence will continue to feed itself. The Western powers that provide increasing military support to these states also bear a share of responsibility in ensuring compliance with the law of war. The tragedy of Jilli, with its toll of over a hundred civilian deaths, should mark a turning point in the reflection on the modalities of security cooperation in West Africa.