Niger has withdrawn from the Lake Chad military coalition to focus on protecting its oil sites, citing security concerns. Tensions have risen since its 2023 coup, with accusations against Nigeria and ongoing insurgencies in the region.

Niger has withdrawn from the military coalition fighting armed groups in the Lake Chad region of Africa, stating that it will prioritize protecting its oil operations from attacks.

This announcement follows increasing tensions among the four countries bordering Lake Chad, a situation that has escalated since Niger's military seized power in a 2023 coup.

The Multinational Joint Task Force, active since 2015, will now be renamed "Nalewa Dole" following Niger's withdrawal, according to a bulletin from the Nigerien army, which was read on state television on Saturday. The statement emphasized that the decision was aimed at reinforcing security for the country’s oil sites but did not provide further details.

The four Lake Chad-bordering nations—Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria—have been combating insurgencies since 2009, when Boko Haram's violent campaign in northeastern Nigeria spread to neighboring countries.

The conflict has since drawn in additional armed groups, including the Daesh-affiliated Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), resulting in over 40,000 deaths and the displacement of millions. This has contributed to one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.

Since the July 2023 coup, Niger's military government has accused Nigeria of supporting foreign forces in an attempt to destabilize the country, an allegation that Nigeria has denied. Meanwhile, Niger’s oil infrastructure in the southeast, particularly a pipeline leading from the landlocked nation to Benin, has been a frequent target of armed group attacks.

At a regional summit in February, General Ibrahim Bagadoma, the governor of Niger's Diffa region, stated: “The problem is that some are making efforts, while others are undermining them. We have to present a united front and end foreign interferences in our region.”

In late 2024, Chad also threatened to withdraw from the Joint Task Force after an attack killed approximately 40 of its soldiers, citing a lack of coordinated efforts among the coalition members.