Nigeria and Somalia Seek a United Front Against Terrorism in Africa

Overview

Nigeria and Somalia are positioning themselves as key continental actors in the fight against terrorism, championing a vision of African-led security cooperation.
Their renewed partnership — strengthened through a series of high-level military summits and bilateral meetings in 2025 — underscores a continental shift toward indigenous solutions to Africa’s multifaceted security challenges.

The partnership aligns with the philosophy articulated by the Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa:

“African solutions to African problems.”

The Abuja Defence Summit: A Pivotal Gathering

In August 2025, Nigeria hosted the African Chiefs of Defence Staff Summit in Abuja, bringing together senior military leaders from all 54 African nations.
Convened by the Nigerian Armed Forces, the summit marked the most inclusive continental military dialogue in Africa’s history.

The theme — “Combating Contemporary Threats to Peace and Regional Security in Africa: The Role of Strategic Defence Collaboration” — reflected an emerging consensus: that collective defence frameworks are essential to counter transnational threats such as terrorism, piracy, and cybercrime.

The Abuja meeting also showcased Africa’s growing defence-industrial ambitions, featuring exhibits of locally produced military hardware, signalling a drive toward self-reliance and reduced dependency on foreign suppliers.

Shared Threats, Coordinated Responses

Africa continues to experience a surge in terrorist incidents. According to the African Union’s Centre for Counterterrorism, 2024 recorded over 3,400 attacks resulting in more than 13,900 deaths across the continent.

• Nigeria remains engaged in a protracted conflict with Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Lake Chad Basin.
• Somalia continues to confront Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda affiliate capable of conducting coordinated assaults against both national and international forces.

Beyond these well-known threats, Islamic State networks are expanding across the Sahel, linking Mali, Niger, and northern Nigeria into an emerging transnational jihadist corridor.

The Transition from ATMIS to AUSSOM in Somalia

On January 1, 2025, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) officially transitioned into the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
This new mandate provides for a force of up to 11,911 personnel, with Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Uganda among the key troop-contributing countries.

At a summit in Kampala (April 2025), troop contributors called for an additional 8,000 personnel to address ongoing gaps created by premature troop withdrawals not yet offset by Somali forces.

This demonstrates the intensifying security pressure on the Somali state and highlights the critical role of Nigerian participation in supporting stabilization efforts beyond West Africa.

Meanwhile, INTERPOL-led counterterrorism operations across Africa in 2024 resulted in 121 arrests for terrorism-related and transnational crimes — a testament to the growing emphasis on information-sharing and operational coordination among African security institutions.

Bilateral and Multilateral Cooperation Frameworks

Several regional mechanisms are converging to enhance coordination:

• In May 2025, the African Chiefs of Defence Conference in Nairobi — co-hosted by the Kenya Defence Forces and U.S. AFRICOM — brought together 37 African countries to address counterterrorism, maritime security, and cross-border intelligence cooperation.
• The meeting generated over 70 bilateral engagements, strengthening military partnerships and training programs.
• The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in the Lake Chad Basin — comprising Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria — continues to serve as a regional model for joint operations, despite persistent logistical and political challenges.

This combination of multilateral summits and bilateral defence dialogues reflects an evolving architecture of African-led collective security.

Emerging Domains: Cybersecurity and Maritime Security

At the Abuja Summit, African military leaders emphasized that terrorism is no longer confined to the battlefield.
New threats — including cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and maritime piracy — require broader defence cooperation and innovation.

The summit underscored:

• The need for an African cybersecurity strategy, integrated within existing counterterrorism frameworks.
• The importance of developing indigenous defence technology industries to reduce dependency on imported systems.
• The growing urgency of maritime security for coastal nations such as Nigeria and Somalia, both of which face challenges from illegal fishing, piracy, and trafficking across the Gulf of Guinea and the Horn of Africa.

Nigeria–Somalia Military Partnership: From Dialogue to Action

In October 2025, a meeting in Kigali brought together General Sahal Abdullahi Omar, Commander of the Somali National Army’s Land Forces, and General Usman Abdulmumin Yusuf, Commander of the Nigerian Infantry.

The discussions focused on:

• Joint counterterrorism training programs.
• Exchange of operational experience in asymmetric warfare.
• Strengthening bilateral defence cooperation within the framework of AUSSOM and African Union mandates.

This partnership exemplifies an interregional bridge between West Africa and the Horn of Africa, two theatres historically isolated from one another in counterterrorism operations.
It also aligns with Nigeria’s growing ambition to play a continental leadership role in security stabilization initiatives.

Strategic Outlook

African Security Analysis (ASA) identifies three key implications of this emerging Nigeria–Somalia partnership:

1. Reinforcement of Pan-African Defence Cooperation:
Both countries are promoting a shared vision of collective security, emphasizing African-led responses rather than external interventions.

2. Diversification of Security Partnerships:
Collaboration with regional powers such as Egypt, Kenya, and Ethiopia indicates a move toward multi-polar African defence diplomacy.

3. Shift Toward Non-Traditional Threats:
The integration of cybersecurity and maritime defence into national security agendas demonstrates an expanded understanding of modern conflict, encompassing digital and economic dimensions.

If sustained, these developments could gradually reshape Africa’s continental security architecture, with Nigeria and Somalia emerging as dual anchors of interregional coordination.

Conclusion

The alignment between Nigeria and Somalia symbolizes the maturation of Africa’s collective security consciousness.
While both nations continue to face distinct domestic challenges — insurgency in the Lake Chad Basin and Al-Shabaab’s resilience in Somalia — their coordination signals a growing realization that no African nation can combat terrorism in isolation.

The Abuja Summit, AUSSOM’s deployment, and the new bilateral frameworks reflect a continental momentum toward shared defence and intelligence cooperation.
Success, however, will depend on sustained political commitment, funding stability, and the institutionalization of African defence mechanisms capable of enduring beyond individual governments.

As Africa moves into a new era of security self-determination, the Nigeria–Somalia partnership may serve as a strategic blueprint for coordinated regional resilience — a step toward a more integrated and self-sufficient continental security order.