Key Facts
- Date of battle
- 18 March 2015
- Boko Haram occupation began
- 24 November 2014
- Duration of occupation
- ~4 months
- Mass grave victims found
- Over 90 bodies
- Battle duration
- Less than one day
Strategic Narrative Overview
On 18 March 2015, Nigerien and Chadian forces launched a joint assault on Damasak, engaging Boko Haram in heavy fighting. The insurgents were driven from the town in less than a day. The town was found largely deserted, with only elderly or infirm civilians remaining. Chadian troops subsequently established camps on the outskirts, and helicopters delivered supplies to support the operation.
01 / The Origins
Boko Haram, the jihadist insurgent group based in northeastern Nigeria, captured the border town of Damasak on 24 November 2014 as part of a broader campaign to seize territory and establish a caliphate. The fall of Damasak was part of a wider offensive that saw Boko Haram control significant parts of Borno State, prompting a multinational military response from neighboring Chad and Niger.
03 / The Outcome
Two days after the battle, on 20 March 2015, Nigerien and Chadian soldiers discovered a mass grave of more than 90 people beneath a bridge on the town's outskirts. The partial mummification of the civilian bodies indicated the massacre had occurred well before the recapture. The find underscored the scale of Boko Haram's violence during its occupation of Damasak.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
2 belligerents
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.