Resurgence of Suicide Bombings in Nigeria’s Boko Haram Conflict

On the night of June 21, a woman detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) in a crowd of people at a fish market in Konduga town, about 25 km southeast of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital in Nigeria. The attack, which reportedly killed at least 12 people, is the first in the region in 2025 after a series of suicide bombings in 2024.

The conflict between Nigerian security forces and Islamist insurgent groups, referred to as Boko Haram, has now entered its 16th year. It has been marked by widespread violence, including suicide bombings, often carried out by women who conceal explosives beneath their hijabs, a traditional covering widely worn by Muslim women in the northern region.

Since Nigeria’s first recorded suicide bombing in 2011, Boko Haram has carried out hundreds of such attacks, many targeting civilian gatherings. In 2017 alone, there were more than 127 suicide bombings and attempted suicide bombings, according to data from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

However, in the years leading up to 2024, incidents of suicide bombings had waned. Some analysts had attributed this decline to military successes and the fragmentation of Boko Haram into rival factions, most notably the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS). ISWAP adopted a different strategy from the original Boko Haram group, favoring targeted attacks against security agencies and military installations rather than civilians. Over time, infighting between the factions significantly weakened both groups, particularly JAS, whose leader, Abubakar Shekau, died in 2021.

President Bola Tinubu, in a statement posted on X, said the suicide bomb attack was an attempt to spread fear and directed the security forces to “rout the remnants of Boko Haram.” Over the years the Nigerian military has repeatedly claimed to have defeated Boko Haram despite ongoing attacks against civilians and military targets.

While no group has claimed responsibility, the latest suicide bombing and others since 2024 raise concerns for the safety of people in the region, particularly amid reports of a resurgence of the JAS faction, which has often carried out brutal attacks targeting civilians.

Insurgent groups should end all targeted and indiscriminate attacks against civilians. Nigerian authorities should take decisive action to hold those responsible for these abuses to account.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).