13 killed in two attacks by jihadists in north-eastern Nigeria

Three soldiers and ten farmers were killed on Saturday in separate attacks carried out by suspected militants belonging to the Boko Haram group in northeastern Nigeria, according to local militias cited by AFP on Sunday.

Officials told AFP that Islamic fighters launched an attack on a military base near the city of Konduga in Borno state on Saturday morning, leading to a firefight with the soldiers.

Militia leader Ibrahim Liman explained, "Boko Haram terrorists took advantage of the darkness and cornfields to launch their attack."

He added, "The soldiers engaged in a fierce battle, killing three soldiers before eliminating the attackers and forcing them to retreat."

Another militia commander in the region, Babakura Kolo, confirmed the attack and its toll.

Earlier on Saturday afternoon, Boko Haram jihadists shot and killed ten farmers after rounding them up while they were working in their field in a village on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

Omar Ari, a member of the militia who helped evacuate the bodies, confirmed, "The ten farmers were shot dead."

Regarding the second attack, Liman stated that four other farmers remain missing, confirming the death toll.

Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province increasingly target loggers, herders, farmers, and fishermen in northeastern Nigeria, accusing them of spying and sharing information with the military and militias.

This conflict, ongoing for fourteen years, has led to a severe humanitarian crisis in northeastern Nigeria and in southern Niger, western Chad, and northern Cameroon, where the insurgency has spread.

In July 2015, the four countries established a multinational joint force of 8,500 troops to combat the jihadists.

However, these regional efforts to fight the jihadists may be hampered by the recent coup in Niger and the threat of military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States to overthrow the military council.



AFP