• Dozens of Nigerian fishermen are feared dead after Chad’s military launched air strikes on Boko Haram militants in the Lake Chad region.
  • Abubakar Gamandi Usman, chairman of the Lake Chad Basin Fisheries Association, said over 40 fishermen are missing, believed hit by strikes or drowned.
  • Chad’s presidency said it carried out ‘intensive air strikes’ on Boko Haram strongholds in retaliation for attacks on Chadian military bases that killed at least 24 soldiers and two generals.
  • The Lake Chad basin has long been a stronghold for Boko Haram and its rival faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap).
  • The search for missing fishermen is slow due to deep waters and limited access to canoes, many controlled by Boko Haram.
  • Chadian military operations have previously been accused of causing civilian deaths, including in October 2024.

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