Countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Libya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria Source: Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project In this Regional Overview covering May 2025Angola: Deadly separatist violence flares up in CabindaCentral African Republic: Fracturing of the FACA alliance with Azande Ani Kpi Gbe leads to a rise in clashes in Haut-MbomouDemocratic Republic of the Congo: ADF civilian targeting spikes in LuberoLibya: Violence intensifies in Tripoli after the death of the SSA commanderNigeria: Clashes surge in Borno state following ISWAP offensivesSahel: JNIM captures provincial capitals in a step-change regional offensiveAngola: Deadly separatist violence flares up in CabindaIn the oil-rich province of Cabinda — an Angolan exclave territory surrounded by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — a spate of fighting involving Angolan military forces (FAA) and the separatist Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda-Armed Forces of Cabinda (FLEC-FAC) flared up in May. FLEC-FAC rebels fought against the FAA in the municipalities of Belize and Buco-Zau and across the border in the DRC. The separatist fighting not only led to four reported deaths among rebels and 18 among military forces but also resulted in at least 12 reported civilian fatalities. In response to the separatist violence, the FAA increased surveillance and crackdowns against civilians suspected of collaborating with FLEC-FAC. They arrested and tortured residents and reportedly killed three civilians while searching for separatist supporters.The province of Cabinda has a longstanding separatist movement dating back to the late colonial period, but the Angolan authorities have protected their interest in the region, which produces around 60% of the country’s oil and generates roughly $40 billion US dollars per year. While spates of separatist clashes in Cabinda have persisted for decades, the violence has been increasingly fatal in 2025. It’s already the deadliest year of violence involving the FLEC-FAC since 2016. FLEC-FAC had declared a ceasefire in April but claimed that FAA incursions against the separatists within Congolese territory in early May violated their agreement and led to retaliatory violence.Central African Republic: Fracturing of the FACA alliance with Azande Ani Kpi Gbe leads to a rise in clashes in Haut-MbomouFollowing a breakdown in their alliance, violent clashes broke out last month between the Azande Ani Kpi Gbe militia and the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) and Wagner Group. Fighting between the erstwhile allies contributed to a more than 40% rise in violence in Haut-Mbomou last month compared to April, the fourth consecutive month of escalating violence in the prefecture.The Azande Ani Kpi Gbe militia, which was formed in 2023, claims to protect the interests of the Azande people4 and had received backing and operated alongside the FACA and the Wagner Group to combat other armed groups under the Coalition of Patriots for Change. According to a press statement by the Committee for the Recovery of Public Safety (CRSP), which claimed to speak for the Azande Ani Kpi Gbe, the breakdown in the relationship arose after President Faustin-Archange Touadéra made false promises regarding the integration of the Azande Ani Kpi Gbe into the military, instead sending military forces and Wagner mercenaries to attack the group. The CRSP also claimed that recent government negotiations with the rival Union for Peace in the Central African Republic militia permitted the settling of Fulani people and cattle in areas claimed by the Azande Ani Kpi Gbe in Mbomou and Haut-Mbomou prefectures. While an Azande Ani Kpi Gbe spokesperson later contested the press release, the outlined grievances speak to the frustrations at the heart of growing clashes between the Azande Ani Kpi Gbe and its former allies.Democratic Republic of the Congo: ADF civilian targeting spikes in LuberoLast month in North Kivu’s Lubero territory, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) carried out a wave of civilian targeting. ACLED records a dozen such events and at least 60 reported fatalities, including frequent looting and burning of civilian property. Some of this violence triggered the mass displacement of civilians, including an ADF attack on 8 May in the Babili sector that reportedly killed 18 civilians. Lubero territory has been the site of increasing ADF violence since June 2024. It is also the northernmost area reached by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group so far in 2025. The M23 advance has kept the Congolese military forces (FARDC) and allied armed groups from controlling territory in Lubero, as their attention has been drawn to the rebel offensive’s frontlines. ADF fighters have used the military’s diverted attention to carry out deadly civilian targeting in areas where state forces are not as present.The ADF unit operating in Lubero territory has been consolidated under the leadership of Ahmad Mahmood Hassan, commonly known as “Abwakasi,” since mid-2024. Abwakasi comes from Tanzania and is frequently featured on ADF media outlets. He is known for his ability to build explosives and for leading numerous high-fatality attacks on civilians. Under Abwakasi, the ADF’s Lubero camp has been the group’s deadliest toward civilians. It accounts for over half of the total number of reported civilian fatalities perpetrated by the ADF in 2025.Libya: Violence intensifies in Tripoli after the death of the SSA commanderAfter weeks of growing tensions, Stability Support Apparatus (SSA) commander Abdul Ghani al-Kikli was killed in Tripoli’s Camp Tekbali on 12 May when a meeting with most of the leaders of the capital’s main armed groups escalated into a firefight. Following his death, a coalition of armed groups closely aligned with the Government of National Unity (GNU) and led by the 444th Brigade seized SSA headquarters throughout the capital in a lightning operation. Up until this happened, the SSA had been regarded as the most powerful armed group in Tripoli. However, it had an increasingly fractious relationship with GNU Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh and the other armed groups in Tripoli, mainly owing to their aggressive competition for positions of power and resources.One day after driving the SSA out of Tripoli, the same coalition of armed groups moved against their other major opponent in the capital, the Special Deterrence Forces (Rada). Despite facing heavy resistance, Rada was able to hold off the assault but lost several positions previously under their control in Tripoli. This outbreak of violence was concentrated across just three days, between 12 and 14 May, but resulted in the highest levels of monthly political violence in Libya since the civil war in June 2020.Nigeria: Clashes surge in Borno state following ISWAP offensivesIn May, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants conducted at least five attacks on military bases in Borno state, including Buni Gari, Dikwa, Rann, Gajiram, and Marte — the largest military camp in the state. The military lost numerous materials as a result of the ISWAP offensives, and many civilians in nearby areas were displaced throughout the country and into neighboring Cameroon. Nigerian military forces conducted several counter-offensives, during which they reportedly killed prominent militant commander Amir Abu Fatima, for whom Nigerian officials had offered the Naira equivalent of a $63,000 US dollar bounty. The offensives by ISWAP, military responses, and additional battles between the military forces and Boko Haram (JAS) insurgents resulted in a spike in armed clashes in Borno state in May, reaching the highest level of violence in Nigeria so far in 2025.May’s offensive highlighted the limited effectiveness of military efforts in the region, marked by strained alliances between the Nigerian and Nigerien governments and the Chadian government’s passivity toward military collaboration through the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF). ISWAP’s capacity to overrun military positions in border areas such as Rann and strategic regional smuggling towns like Marte underlined further opportunities for insurgents to carry out cross-border violence and move resources throughout the Lake Chad region. More worrying, interviews with Nigerian security experts suggest that ISWAP and JAS have increased collaboration on constructing explosives, tactics, funding, and resources, giving insurgents increased capacity to conduct violence in the Lake Chad region.Sahel: JNIM captures provincial capitals in a step-change regional offensiveLast month, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) intensified its regional offensive across Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Benin, contributing to the most fatal month of violence involving JNIM since August 2024. In Burkina Faso, JNIM captured two provincial capitals, Djibo in the Soum province on 11 May and Diapaga in the Tapoa province on 13 May, taking temporary control of military and administrative infrastructure. More than 300 people were killed in these attacks, as well as in a separate attack on a military detachment in Solle in the Loroum province, driving violence to record levels in the Sahel, Nord, and Centre-Est regions.The capture of Djibo and Diapaga marks a step-change in JNIM’s operational capability and demonstrates its ability to conduct large-scale offensives on multiple fronts and hold key urban centers for short periods. The attacks reflect not only growing confidence but also growing ambitions aimed at directly challenging state control. In Mali and Niger, JNIM also sustained pressure through mass casualty operations. In Mali, JNIM stormed the Dioura military camp in the Mopti region, reportedly killing at least 40 soldiers. In Niger, JNIM fighters captured the Mossi Paga military camp in Tillaberi on 15 May. They killed dozens more soldiers in a series of ambushes and IED attacks in Dosso and Park W over the course of the month. In Benin, militants carried out a series of raids on military and security outposts in the Alibori and Atacora departments, demonstrating JNIM’s overall growing geographic reach and the regionalization of the conflict as the militants exert their influence across borders and challenge the overstretched national forces in the region on multiple fronts.