Nov Airstrikes | Monguno LGA Dec Ruwan Wuta III Feb Airstrikes | Northern edge of Lake Chad Ruwan Wuta IV Borno state Niger Chad Nigeria Cameroon Oct Airstrikes | Sambisa Forest Storm Major Nigerian military operations Ground operations with air support | Around Sambisa Deep Punch April Ground operation with air support | Sambisa & Lake Chad Oct- Deep Punch II ongoing Clearance operations against militants | Marte LGA (Local government area) July Chikin Gudu Clearance operations against militants | Sambisa Hostage rescues Sambisa Clearance operations against militants Southern Borno state Crackdown Rescue Final Karya Gwuiwa Clearance operations against militants | NigerNigerian border, Marte LGA Hard Knock 2018 2016 2017 against Boko Haram since August 2016 Aimed at returning IDPs and restoring economic activity | Lake Chad May- Last Hold ongoing Airstrikes | Sambisa, Damboa & Bama LGAs Aug- Ruwan Wuta Sep Airstrikes | Sambisa, Damboa LGA Oct Ruwan Wuta II

The document provides a chronological list of Nigerian military operations from 2016 to 2018, focusing on the Lake Chad basin and Borno state. Key operations include 'Hard Knock', 'Deep Punch', and 'Ruwan Wuta', which utilized a combination of airstrikes and ground forces to target militants in areas such as the Sambisa Forest, Lake Chad, and various Local Government Areas (LGAs) including Monguno, Marte, Damboa, and Bama. The stated objective of 'Hard Knock' was the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the restoration of economic activity.

• Operation 'Hard Knock', conducted since August 2016, targeted Boko Haram with the goals of returning internally displaced persons (IDPs) and restoring economic activity in the Lake Chad area.
• Nigerian military efforts involved multiple types of engagements, including 'Clearance operations against militants' and 'Airstrikes' across various locations such as the Sambisa Forest, the Niger-Nigerian border, and several LGAs including Monguno, Marte, Damboa, and Bama.
• Specific named operations include 'Ruwan Wuta' (and its iterations II, III, and IV), 'Deep Punch' (and Deep Punch II), 'Forest Storm', 'Chikin Gudu', 'Crackdown Rescue', and 'Last Hold'.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Nov Airstrikes | Monguno LGA Dec Ruwan Wuta III Feb Airstrikes | Northern edge of Lake Chad Ruwan Wuta IV Borno state Niger Chad Nigeria Cameroon Oct Airstrikes | Sambisa Forest Storm Major Nigerian military operations Ground operations with air support | Around Sambisa Deep Punch April Ground operation with air support | Sambisa & Lake Chad Oct- Deep Punch II ongoing Clearance operations against militants | Marte LGA (Local government area) July Chikin Gudu Clearance operations against militants | Sambisa Hostage rescues Sambisa Clearance operations against militants Southern Borno state Crackdown Rescue Final Karya Gwuiwa Clearance operations against militants | NigerNigerian border, Marte LGA Hard Knock 2018 2016 2017 against Boko Haram since August 2016 Aimed at returning IDPs and restoring economic activity | Lake Chad May- Last Hold ongoing Airstrikes | Sambisa, Damboa & Bama LGAs Aug- Ruwan Wuta Sep Airstrikes | Sambisa, Damboa LGA Oct Ruwan Wuta II. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Lake-Chad-major-military-operations.pdf

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Nov Airstrikes | Monguno LGA Dec Ruwan Wuta III Feb Airstrikes | Northern edge of Lake Chad Ruwan Wuta IV Borno state Niger Chad Nigeria Cameroon Oct Airstrikes | Sambisa Forest Storm Major Nigerian military operations Ground operations with air support | Around Sambisa Deep Punch April Ground operation with air support | Sambisa & Lake Chad Oct- Deep Punch II ongoing Clearance operations against militants | Marte LGA (Local government area) July Chikin Gudu Clearance operations against militants | Sambisa Hostage rescues Sambisa Clearance operations against militants Southern Borno state Crackdown Rescue Final Karya Gwuiwa Clearance operations against militants | NigerNigerian border, Marte LGA Hard Knock 2018 2016 2017 against Boko Haram since August 2016 Aimed at returning IDPs and restoring economic activity | Lake Chad May- Last Hold ongoing Airstrikes | Sambisa, Damboa & Bama LGAs Aug- Ruwan Wuta Sep Airstrikes | Sambisa, Damboa LGA Oct Ruwan Wuta II. n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Lake-Chad-major-military-operations.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Nov Airstrikes | Monguno LGA Dec Ruwan Wuta III Feb Airstrikes | Northern edge of Lake Chad Ruwan Wuta IV Borno state Niger Chad Nigeria Cameroon Oct Airstrikes | Sambisa Forest Storm Major Nigerian military operations Ground operations with air support | Around Sambisa Deep Punch April Ground operation with air support | Sambisa & Lake Chad Oct- Deep Punch II ongoing Clearance operations against militants | Marte LGA (Local government area) July Chikin Gudu Clearance operations against militants | Sambisa Hostage rescues Sambisa Clearance operations against militants Southern Borno state Crackdown Rescue Final Karya Gwuiwa Clearance operations against militants | NigerNigerian border, Marte LGA Hard Knock 2018 2016 2017 against Boko Haram since August 2016 Aimed at returning IDPs and restoring economic activity | Lake Chad May- Last Hold ongoing Airstrikes | Sambisa, Damboa & Bama LGAs Aug- Ruwan Wuta Sep Airstrikes | Sambisa, Damboa LGA Oct Ruwan Wuta II |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Lake-Chad-major-military-operations.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndnov, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Nov Airstrikes | Monguno LGA Dec Ruwan Wuta III Feb Airstrikes | Northern edge of Lake Chad Ruwan Wuta IV Borno state Niger Chad Nigeria Cameroon Oct Airstrikes | Sambisa Forest Storm Major Nigerian military operations Ground operations with air support | Around Sambisa Deep Punch April Ground operation with air support | Sambisa \& Lake Chad Oct- Deep Punch II ongoing Clearance operations against militants | Marte LGA (Local government area) July Chikin Gudu Clearance operations against militants | Sambisa Hostage rescues Sambisa Clearance operations against militants Southern Borno state Crackdown Rescue Final Karya Gwuiwa Clearance operations against militants | NigerNigerian border, Marte LGA Hard Knock 2018 2016 2017 against Boko Haram since August 2016 Aimed at returning IDPs and restoring economic activity | Lake Chad May- Last Hold ongoing Airstrikes | Sambisa, Damboa \& Bama LGAs Aug- Ruwan Wuta Sep Airstrikes | Sambisa, Damboa LGA Oct Ruwan Wuta II}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Lake-Chad-major-military-operations.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }