| Sambisa Forest | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Map | |
 Location of Sambisa Forest inBorno State | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Sambisa, Borno, Nigeria |
| Coordinates | 11°15′00″N13°25′00″E / 11.25°N 13.4167°E /11.25; 13.4167[1] |
| Elevation | 359 metres (1,178 ft) |
| Area | 518 km2[2] |
| Administration | |
| Governing body |  ISIL (Since May 2021) |
| Ecology | |
| Forest cover | Western Sudanese savannah |
TheSambisa Forest is aforest inBorno State, northeastNigeria. It is in the southwestern part ofChad Basin National Park, about 60 km southeast ofMaiduguri, the capital ofBorno State. It has an area of 518 km2.[3][4]
The Sambisa forest is located at the northeastern tip of thewestSudanian Savanna and the southern boundary of the Sahel Savannah about 60 km south east ofMaiduguri, the capital of the state ofBorno.[5] It occupies parts of the states ofBorno,Adamawa,Yobe,Gombe,Bauchi along the corridorDarazo,Jigawa, and some parts ofKano state farther north.[5][6] It is administered by theLocal government areas of Nigeria ofAskira/Uba in the south, byDamboa in the southwest, and byKonduga andJere in the west.[5]
The name of the forest comes from thevillage of Sambisa which is on the border withGwoza in theEast. TheGwoza hills in the East have peaks of 1,300 meters above sea level and form part of theMandara Mountains range along the Cameroon-Nigeria border.[6] The forest is drained by seasonal streams into theYedseram and theNgadda Rivers.[7][8]
Theclimate is hot and semi-arid, with minimum temperatures of about 21.5 °C betweenDecember andFebruary, a maximum of about 48 °C inMay and averagetemperatures of about 28-29 °C. Thedry season is fromNovember to May and thewet season is between May andSeptember/October with annualrainfall of about 190 mm.[7][8]
The Sambisa forest is one of the few forests in North EasternNigeria where sparse vegetation is the norm. Most of the vegetation is typical of theSudanian Savanna although, because of human activity, some parts have become more like theSahel savanna. The forest consists of a mixture of open woodland and sections of very dense vegetation of short trees about two metres high and thorny bushes, with a height of 1/2-1 metre, which are difficult to penetrate.[6] Major trees and bushes in the forest includetallow,rubber,wild black plum,birch,date palm,mesquite,acacia,monkey bread,red bushwillow,baobab,jackalberry,tamarind andterminalia.[9]
BirdLife International reported that, 62 species of birds have been recorded in the Sambisa Game Reserve,[9] including theguinea fowl,francolin,village weaver,Abyssinian ground hornbill,Arabian bustard,Savile's bustard,African collared-dove,chestnut-bellied starling,black scrub-robin and theSudan golden sparrow. The forest was also thought to be the last remaining site of theostrich in Nigeria.[9]
Seventeen species of mammals were reported in 2010 in the Sambisa Game Reserve[7] including,baboon,patas monkey,tantalus monkey,Grimm's duiker,red-fronted gazelle,African bush elephant,roan antelope,hartebeest,African leopard andspotted hyenas. However poaching, chopping downing trees for fuel, human agricultural penetration[7] and theBoko Haramjihadist group's activities since 2013[6] have reduced their numbers since then.[10] An aerial survey of the game reserve in 2006 reported seeing only five large wild animal species.[8]
During the colonial period, the Sambisa game reserve covered an area of 2,258 km2 (872 sq mi) in the eastern part of the forest.[10] Later reports put the size of the game reserve at 518 square kilometers,[7] although some official documents included the Marguba Forest Reserve in the SambisaGame Reserve.[8]
From 1970, the reserve was used for safaris. It had a large population of leopards, lions, elephants, hyenas, that tourists could observe from cabins or safari lodges. In 1991, the government of the state of Borno incorporated this reserve into the national park of theChad Basin. But the abandonment of its management, following the Sambisa takeover by Boko Haram insurgents in February 2013, led to the gradual disappearance of animals, lodges collapsed or were destroyed, vegetation invaded roads, and rivers dried up.[10]
The Sambisa forest, especially the mountainous region ofGwoza near the Cameroon border, is used as shelter by the jihadistBoko Haram group and is believed to be where they keep the hostages from theChibok schoolgirls kidnapping inApril 2014.[10][11][12][13]
During spring 2015, theNigerian Army started an offensive againstBoko Haram in the forest, but was slowed down due to finding the forest to be heavilymined and the militants having better local knowledge.[14] Despite this, on 28 April 2015, four Boko Haram camps in the Sambisa forest were overrun by the Nigerian military who freed nearly 300 girls and women,[15] who were not, however, the missingChibok girls. On 30 April 2015, another 13 Boko Haram camps were destroyed and 234 more women and children were reportedly freed nearKawuri andKonduga.[16]
TheNigerian ArmyWednesday night 4 November 2015, said troops of 5 Brigade Task Group, killed two Boko Haram suspects, after destroying their camps at Hausari and Baranga in Marte Local Government Area ofBorno State. According to official statement by the military, "In efforts to continually dominate recovered territories and clear all Nigerian territory of Boko Haram vestiges, the advancing troops of 5 Brigade Task Group have today cleared five more terrorists camps at Hausari and Baranga in Marte Local Government Area of Borno State."[17]
On 18 May 2016, one of the schoolgirls abducted from Chibok in 2014, was reportedly found by local militia men fighting Boko Haram in the Sambisa forest. It was also reported that 218 of the girls were still missing and that the found girl claimed that except six said to have died, all of them were still held captive in the forest.[13]
Between 19 and 20 May 2021, the forest was captured byIS-West Africa Province (ISWAP) afterfierce fighting between ISWAP and Boko Haram.[18][19]
In March 2022, Nigerian military uncovered the wreckage of anAlpha Jet, 1 year after it crashed in Sambisa.[20]
Media related toSambisa Forest at Wikimedia Commons