Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu described the attacks as “the final desperate” acts of militants seeking to spread fear, but security analysts said the scale and coordination of the bombings suggest strength rather than decline.

The assault on Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State and the birthplace of the insurgency, involved multiple suicide bombers targeting an urban center long fortified by security forces.

Experts said the incident indicated failures in intelligence and surveillance, allowing militants to penetrate one of the country’s most secured cities.

It remains unclear which group carried out the attack, underscoring the fragmented nature of the insurgency involving Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), an Islamic State-affiliated faction.

Analysts said recent attacks attributed to both Boko Haram and ISWAP raise the possibility of coordination between the rival groups, which have historically operated separately but share overlapping objectives.

“We have to see this as the groups oozing confidence in their ability to wreak terror in that part of the country,” said Ikemesit Effiong, a partner at SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based risk advisory firm.

“We think this is the start of a spate of bombings, not just in Maiduguri but also less protected urban areas in the northeast,” he said.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a crisis monitoring group, said the attack was the deadliest suicide bombing in Nigeria in seven years.

President Tinubu said he had approved additional equipment and support for the military, reiterating pledges by successive administrations to defeat the insurgents.

Nigeria has fought Islamist militants since 2009, when Boko Haram launched an uprising aimed at establishing an Islamic state. The group was driven from major urban areas after a military crackdown, but it later splintered into factions.

One faction aligned with Islamic State has emerged as the most powerful, controlling parts of northeastern Nigeria and maintaining operational capabilities.

As violence has expanded to other regions, including the northwest, the United States has conducted air strikes and deployed military advisers in support roles, though it remains unclear whether U.S. forces will be involved in responding to the latest attacks.

Despite sustained military operations, analysts said militant groups have entrenched themselves in rural areas, enabling them to regroup and launch attacks intermittently.

Vincent Foucher, a senior research fellow at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research, said insurgent groups have maintained a presence over time, adapting their tactics and exploiting gaps in governance and security.

The latest bombings illustrate the enduring challenge posed by the insurgency, which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions across the region.

A loud explosion was heard in the area shortly after residents were warned to leave, according to the witness. The strike formed part of a broader wave of Israeli attacks across Lebanon, including additional raids on the Lebanese capital as well as southern and eastern regions.

Lebanon’s health ministry said earlier strikes on Beirut killed at least six people and wounded 24 others. Separate airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon killed at least 14 people, the state news agency reported, citing the ministry.

The Israeli military said it had begun targeting Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, indicating a widening scope of operations beyond isolated strikes. Wednesday’s attacks suggest a sustained escalation, with multiple regions coming under fire within a single day.

The latest strikes add to a growing toll from the conflict. More than 800 people have been killed in Lebanon since the escalation began, while over 800,000 have been displaced from their homes, according to available figures.

The escalation follows Hezbollah’s March 2 attack on Israel, which the group said was carried out in response to the killing of Iran’s supreme leader. Israel has since launched an expanded offensive, drawing Lebanon deeper into a broader Middle East conflict.

At least 682 people were confirmed missing as of March 16, making the start of 2026 the deadliest on record for the route, according to the International Organization for Migration, though officials say the true toll is likely significantly higher.

Humanitarian groups and researchers say a growing lack of transparency from authorities is obscuring the number of deaths at sea, with fewer incidents documented or independently verified.

“It’s a strategy of silence,” said Matteo Villa of the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, pointing to the absence of official data releases and limited responses to media inquiries.Even the IOM has struggled to track cases. Julia Black, who leads its Missing Migrants Project, said the agency has created a separate dataset for “unverifiable cases,” with more than 400 already recorded this year alone.

Concerns intensified after Cyclone Harry struck in late January, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and high waves that disrupted migration routes.Groups including Refugees in Libya reported more than 1,000 people missing following the storm, though authorities have neither confirmed nor denied those figures.

In the weeks after the cyclone, bodies were found along coastlines in Italy and Libya, while others were seen floating at sea. Only one known survivor has been identified from boats reported missing during that period.Limited official responseRepeated requests for information by media outlets to authorities in Italy, Tunisia and Malta have gone unanswered.

Agencies have either declined to comment or said they lack verified information.Frontex said it detected several migrant boats during the cyclone period, with some rescued, but confirmed that the fate of others remains unknown.

Analysts say the information gap reflects a broader policy shift. Tunisia curtailed public data on migrant interceptions in 2024, citing security concerns, while Italy gradually reduced reporting on rescue operations, discontinuing detailed updates in recent years.

The tightening flow of information has coincided with wider crackdowns on migration across the region, including restrictions on humanitarian groups and reduced funding, limiting independent monitoring.

For families of missing migrants, the absence of verified information has compounded the humanitarian toll, leaving many without answers about the fate of their relatives.

In an interview, Herzog said “Europe should support any effort… to eradicate Hezbollah,” while also welcoming diplomatic initiatives, including an offer by Emmanuel Macron to host direct talks between Israel and Lebanon.

The Israeli military said its troops had begun “limited and targeted ground operations” against Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, describing the campaign as part of broader defensive efforts to dismantle infrastructure and neutralize threats to northern Israel.

The operations followed intensified air and artillery strikes in border areas. Military chief Eyal Zamir said more than 400 Hezbollah fighters had been killed in the latest phase of fighting.

Lebanon’s government said more than one million people had been displaced within two weeks of fighting. Authorities reported that Israeli strikes since March 2 had killed 886 people, including 111 children, according to state figures.

The conflict widened after Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel on March 2, citing retaliation for the killing of Ali Khamenei in U.S.-Israeli strikes. Israel has since responded with extensive air raids and troop incursions.

Hezbollah said it fired rockets and drones at northern Israel, including the city of Nahariya, where emergency services reported injuries and property damage.

Regional and international concern has grown over the potential for further escalation. Turkey condemned Israel’s ground operations, warning of worsening instability and the risk of a humanitarian crisis.Leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom said a large-scale Israeli offensive could have severe humanitarian consequences and lead to a prolonged conflict.

Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said displaced Lebanese civilians should not return to areas south of the Litani River until security conditions for northern Israel residents improve, as the military signalled operations would continue as needed.

Speaking during a meeting with broadcasters from Italy’s TG2 television news programme at the Vatican, Leo called on reporters to portray the realities of war through the experiences of its victims.

He appealed to journalists “to show the face of war and tell it through the eyes of the victims, so as not to turn it into a video game.”

Leo warned that in periods of intense conflict, information can easily drift into propaganda if journalists fail to carefully verify facts and maintain editorial independence.

“In the dramatic circumstances of war, such as those we are experiencing, information must guard against the risk of turning into propaganda,” he saidJournalists must work to verify news and ensure they do not become “a megaphone of power,” he added.

Although the pope did not reference a specific conflict in Monday’s remarks, he has intensified appeals in recent days for an end to the expanding U.S.–Israeli war with Iran.

On Sunday, Leo called for an immediate ceasefire in what he described as the “atrocious violence” of the conflict, marking some of his strongest comments since hostilities escalated.

Leo’s warning about portraying war as entertainment echoed comments earlier this month from Blase Cupich, who criticized the White House for sharing a social media video featuring footage from the Iran conflict intercut with scenes from video games and action films.

Cupich described the video as “sickening,” arguing that such imagery risks trivializing the realities of war and the suffering of civilians.

A series of landslides struck several areas of the Gamo Zone last week after intense rainfall destabilized hillsides, local authorities said. As of Thursday, officials had confirmed 70 fatalities, but the regional government updated the toll to 125 in a statement released on its communications office’s Facebook account.

More than 11,000 people have been displaced by the disaster, the statement said, as rescue and relief efforts continue in affected communities.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited the disaster zone on Saturday to offer condolences to residents and pledged government support for recovery and assistance efforts, according to a message posted on his X account.

The session follows a phased election in which the military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) secured a sweeping victory amid low voter turnout and the absence of a viable opposition. Retired brigadier-general and USDP chairman Khin Yi was elected speaker of the lower house on Monday, a position analysts say could play a central role in advancing the military’s political agenda.

Myanmar has been mired in civil war and a worsening humanitarian crisis since the armed forces overthrew the government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021, just as her administration was preparing to begin a second five-year term following a landslide electoral victory.

The Union Solidarity and Development Party, formed by the military in 2010, won 81% of contested seats in the election, according to official results. The bicameral parliament will also include dozens of military officers appointed directly by the armed forces, which are constitutionally guaranteed a quarter of the seats in the legislature.

Analysts say the arrangement effectively places the parliament under military control, giving the top brass decisive influence over the selection of the country’s next president. Junta chief and coup leader Min Aung Hlaing is widely expected to assume the presidency once the new government is formed.

“This level of control makes it clear that one can expect nothing substantial from this body; it is evidently a parliament that will operate solely at the whim of the military leader,” independent analyst Htin Kyaw Aye said.

The military leadership also plans to establish a new five-member panel, the Union Consultative Council, which some experts have described as a “superbody” designed to consolidate authority over both civilian administration and the armed forces.

The junta has rejected international criticism of the election, saying the process reflected the will of the people. Officials have indicated that a new government could be formed as early as April and have expressed hope that the political transition may help ease sanctions and revive foreign investment.

A commentary published Monday in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar said the convening of parliament had raised expectations across the country for improved political stability and governance focused on national interests.

Tedros said the global health body had verified that the victims included doctors, paramedics, and nurses working at the facility. In a statement posted on X, he described the incident as a “tragic development” amid the rapidly intensifying crisis in the Middle East.

According to the WHO chief, the deaths followed another attack earlier in the day in the southern Lebanese village of Al Sowana, where two paramedics were killed when a health facility came under fire. The combined toll brought the number of health workers killed within 24 hours to 14.

The strikes come as Israel continues an extensive aerial campaign targeting the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah across southern Lebanon.

The bombardment campaign, which Israel says aims to curb Hezbollah’s military capabilities, has already resulted in significant casualties and widespread displacement.

Lebanese authorities and humanitarian agencies report that more than 770 people have been killed since the escalation began, while hundreds of thousands have fled their homes amid the growing violence.

Hezbollah has responded by launching hundreds of rockets toward northern Israel, triggering air defense responses and raising fears of a broader regional conflict.

International organizations have repeatedly warned that attacks on healthcare facilities and medical personnel violate international humanitarian law and further deepen the humanitarian crisis in conflict zones.

WHO has called for the protection of health workers and medical infrastructure, urging all parties to respect international law and ensure safe access to healthcare for civilians caught in the crossfire.

Humanitarian organization Norwegian Refugee Council said the number of displaced people now represents roughly one in seven residents of Lebanon. The government has so far been able to accommodate only about 120,000 people in shelters as authorities scramble to open additional facilities and bring in emergency supplies.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said more than 700 people, including 103 children, have been killed since the fighting escalated.

Thousands of families fleeing Israeli evacuation orders have struggled to find accommodation, forcing many to sleep in tents, vehicles or on the streets of the capital Beirut.

Fatima Nazha, a wheelchair user who fled Beirut’s southern suburbs after evacuation warnings, said she spent two days sleeping outdoors with her family before moving into a tent at the country’s largest stadium after schools designated as shelters reached capacity.

Authorities have converted the stadium into a temporary shelter housing more than 800 displaced people in semi-open corridors beneath the stands. Facilities include basic toilets and sinks but limited electricity and no showers.

Humanitarian agencies say years of financial strain and underfunding have limited their ability to respond to the rapidly escalating crisis.

“The needs are escalating much faster than our capacity to respond,” said Mathieu Luciano, head of the International Organization for Migration in Lebanon, during a recent briefing.

Displaced residents have reported rising rents and stricter hotel screening in Beirut after Israeli strikes targeted locations where authorities said members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard were present.

An overnight Israeli strike in the Ramlet el-Bayda district of Beirut killed at least eight people and wounded more than 30, according to local officials, in an area where displaced families had been camping along the seafront.

The latest wave of displacement began after Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the start of the wider regional war.

Israel subsequently intensified air strikes across Lebanon and issued evacuation notices for dozens of villages south of the Litani River, later expanding warnings to residents of Dahiyeh, a densely populated area on Beirut’s southern edge.

Traffic congestion stretched for miles on major highways leading north from southern Lebanon as residents attempted to flee bombardment.

Along the border, some villages remained briefly populated as residents weighed whether to evacuate, but many ultimately fled after continued strikes and drone activity near the United Nations-monitored Blue Line separating the two countries.

The Israeli military said it struck the Zrarieh Bridge spanning the Litani River early on Friday, asserting that the crossing was being used by Hezbollah fighters to move between northern and southern parts of Lebanon.

The military did not provide evidence for the claim.The strike appeared to be the first instance in the current conflict in which Israel publicly acknowledged targeting civilian infrastructure in Lebanon.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Lebanon would face increasing consequences unless Hezbollah was disarmed.

“The Lebanese government will pay increasing costs through damage to infrastructure and loss of territory,” Katz told senior military officers during a briefing, according to a statement from his office.

Israeli troops have been pushing deeper into southern Lebanon as part of the military campaign, while air strikes have continued to hit districts in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Lebanese officials say the expanding conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands of people across the country.

Lebanon’s interior minister said authorities were struggling to accommodate the influx of civilians seeking refuge in Beirut, where many displaced residents have gathered after fleeing combat zones in the south.

The minister said government resources were insufficient to manage the scale of displacement, with large numbers of people arriving in the capital in recent days.

Lebanese authorities estimate that around 800,000 people have been forced from their homes since the fighting intensified.

Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, said the Lebanese population had been drawn into a broader regional conflict.

Speaking about the humanitarian impact of the fighting, Guterres said the Lebanese people had been “dragged into” the war as hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah expanded.

The escalation in Lebanon is unfolding as the wider regional conflict continues to intensify, raising concerns among international officials about the growing humanitarian and security consequences across the Middle East.