The Lake Chad crisis isn't just about Boko Haram attacking soldiers — it's a full-blown territorial war between Boko Haram and ISWAP over trade corridors, smuggling routes and taxing civilians, with security forces largely absent from the islands. Residents are fleeing, hundreds are dead and both groups are growing more sophisticated, with ISWAP now deploying drones and AI. Without a serious military presence on the islands, whoever wins this rivalry controls the entire region.