Confusion as Shekau, Barnawi's factions engage in gun battle

There seem to be confusion in the camps of Boko Haram as two factions of the sect reportedly engaged in a gun battle.

According to a report by AFP, members belonging to the Shekau faction had engaged Islamic State backed Abu Musab al-Barnawi in Monguno area of Borno State.

The report further revealed that the bloody fight between the two factions of the insurgents was over leadership tussle.

Several fighters from Shekau’s camp were said to have been killed in two separate gun battles with Barnawi gunmen in the Monguno area of Borno State near Lake Chad last Thursday, September 1, 2016.

The terrorists had split after Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the son of Boko Haram’s founder Mohammed Yusuf, was announced the sect’s new leader by the Islamic State group.

The announcement is said to have angered Shekau, whose reign as the insurgency head had seen at least 20,000 people killed since 2009 and displaced about 2.6 million people.

This, reportedly, began the enmity between Barnawi and Shekau and factions emerged with members of the sect paying allegiance to the most favourable faction.

It was also reported that the Nigeria’s military declined to comment on the reported in-fighting when contacted by AFP.