Second Battle of Dikwa
| Second Battle of Dikwa | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Boko Haram insurgency | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Chad |
 Boko Haram | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Unknown | Abubakar Shekau | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 2,500 | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
1 killed 34 injured | ~100 killed | ||||||||
On March 2, 2015, Chadian forces recaptured the town of Dikwa, Borno State, Nigeria from Boko Haram. The battle occurred two weeks after the first battle of Dikwa, where Chadian soldiers eliminated a major Boko Haram camp on the way to Dikwa, opening up the road for the Chadians to enter the city.
Background
Boko Haram emerged in 2009 as a jihadist social and political movement in a failed rebellion in northeast Nigeria.[1] Throughout the following years, Abubakar Shekau unified militant Islamist groups in the region and continued to foment the rebellion against the Nigerian government, conducting terrorist attacks and bombings in cities and communities across the region.[2]
On January 14, 2015, following a meeting between the Cameroonian Minister of Defense and Chadian President Idriss Déby, the Chadian government announced it would send troops to northern Cameroon to defend against Boko Haram attacks.[3] By January 28, Chadian soldiers had deployed to Fotokol, a border town separated from the Boko Haram-controlled Nigerian border town of Gamboru Ngala, eventually entering and recapturing Gamboru Ngala a few days later after the Nigerian government authorized the Chadians to fight in Nigeria.[4][5] In late February, Chadian soldiers ambushed Boko Haram at a camp near Dikwa, destroying the camp and killing hundreds of soldiers. This defeat allowed Chadian troops to have open access to entering Dikwa.[6] About 2,500 Chadian soldiers were in Borno State prior to the battle.[6]
Battle
On March 2, 2015, Chadian troops entered Dikwa after an hour of fighting.[7] Fighting was concentrated on a large villa used by Boko Haram near the entrance of the town. After seizing the villa, the Chadians captured the town street by street, gradually taking control of Dikwa.[7] After securing the town and it's outskirts, the Chadian soldiers encamped on a plain just outside Dikwa.[7]
The Chadian government said that one soldier was killed and 34 were injured. Most of these injuries were reportedly caused by the explosion of a suicide bomber in a car carrying explosives.[8] The Chadian government also said that around 100 Boko Haram fighters were killed.[9] According to Chadian president Idriss Déby, the leader of Boko Haram Abubakar Shekau was present in Dikwa at the time of the battle and fled during the commotion.[10]
Aftermath
Following the battle, the Nigerian government asked the Chadian army to leave Dikwa so Nigerian soldiers could regain control of the town. The Chadians returned to Cameroon on March 12.[11][12]
References
- ↑ Walker, Andrew (2016-02-04). "Join us or die: the birth of Boko Haram". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
- ↑ "Nigeria unrest: 'Boko Haram' gunmen kill 44 at mosque". BBC News. 2013-08-12. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
- ↑ "Le Tchad propose un «soutien actif» au Cameroun contre Boko Haram". RFI (in French). 2015-01-14. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
- ↑ "Cameroun: trois soldats tchadiens, 123 islamistes tués lors d'attaques de Boko Haram". L'Orient-Le Jour (in French). 2015-01-31. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
- ↑ "Wikiwix Archives". archive.wikiwix.com. Retrieved 2026-05-06.
- 1 2 "L'armée tchadienne tue 117 islamistes au Nigeria". Liberation. February 18, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Nigeria: l'armée tchadienne a repris Dikwa aux mains de Boko Haram". RFI (in French). 2015-03-02. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
- ↑ "Afrique - Contre Boko Haram, le Tchad remporte des batailles mais pas encore la guerre". France 24 (in French). Archived from the original on 2015-03-09. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
- ↑ "Afrique - Vidéo : à Dikwa, les stigmates des combats contre Boko Haram au Nigeria". France 24 (in French). Archived from the original on 2015-03-10. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
- ↑ "Tchad: Idriss Déby assure savoir où se cache le chef de Boko Haram". RFI (in French). 2015-03-04. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
- ↑ "Des soldats tchadiens quittent le Nigeria à la demande d'Abuja". RFI (in French). 2015-03-12. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
- ↑ "Wikiwix Archives". archive.wikiwix.com. Retrieved 2026-06-09.