Accra: Hundreds of residents who fled their homes earlier this month after jihadists raided a military base have returned to their town in northeastern Nigeria, despite an increase in jihadist activity. On May 12, fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) attacked a military base in Marte, a town in Borno state, killing four soldiers and seizing weapons before torching the facility.

According to Nam News Network, Zulum stated that the town, once made up of 300 communities, had been reduced to just one standing village. If residents abandon it, he warned, the entire district could fall to ISWAP. The region has seen a rise in attacks by ISWAP and its rival Boko Haram, who have escalated assaults on military bases in recent weeks. In a spate of attacks in April, at least 100 people were killed, with jihadists targeting at least 10 bases in the last two months.

The largest wave of displacement occurred in 2014, when Boko Haram jihadists seized vast areas of territory, seeking to establish a caliphate in the region. Zulum highlighted that the current situation mirrors the events of 2013-2014, when insurgents displaced numerous villages. Most of the displaced people moved into camps in the regional capital, Maiduguri, where they have been relying on food handouts from international charities. Others have crossed into neighboring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.

Since 2018, the Borno State government has been working to return displaced people to their communities. This effort continues despite international aid agencies expressing concern about the persistent threat of jihadist attacks. The authorities argue that the displacement camps are no longer sustainable and that people should go back home and rebuild their lives with government support. Around two million people have been displaced since the 2009 jihadist insurgency, and more than 40,000 have been killed in the violence.