DEADLY SUICIDE ATTACKS IN NIGERIA’S BORNO STATE LEAVE 18 DEAD AND DOZENS INJURED

Sun 30 June 2024:

At least 18 people have been killed and dozens injured following a series of blasts by suspected female suicide bombers in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State. The attacks targeted a wedding, a hospital, and a funeral in the town of Gwoza, which lies near the Cameroon border, according to Borno State police spokesman Nahum Kenneth Daso on Sunday.

One of the blasts occurred around 3:45 pm (14:45 GMT) when a woman carrying a baby detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) at a crowded motor park. Additional attacks targeted a hospital in Gwoza and a funeral for the wedding blast victims.

“So far, 18 deaths comprising children, men, females, and pregnant women” have been reported, stated agency head Barkindo Saidu. Nineteen seriously injured individuals were taken to the regional capital, Maiduguri, while 23 others awaited evacuation.

A militia member aiding the military in Gwoza reported that two colleagues and a soldier were also killed in a separate attack on a security post, though authorities have not confirmed these deaths.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks yet. Borno State, comparable in size to Ireland, has been afflicted by 15 years of violence, resulting in thousands of deaths and millions of displaced people. Despite the Nigerian military’s efforts to diminish the armed groups’ capabilities, deadly attacks against civilians and security forces continue.

In 2019, the region experienced its deadliest mass killing by suicide bombers when 30 people were killed in a triple suicide attack. Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), remain the most active armed groups in Borno. Boko Haram has a history of deploying young women and girls for suicide missions and briefly seized Gwoza in 2014 before being ousted by the Nigerian military and Chadian forces in 2015. However, the group continues to launch attacks from nearby mountains.

The ongoing violence has resulted in over 40,000 deaths and displaced approximately two million people in Nigeria’s northeast. The conflict has also spread to Niger, Cameroon, and Chad, leading to the formation of a regional military coalition to combat the armed groups.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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