Boko Haram Killed 223 People In 4 Months
At least 223 people have been killed in Boko Haram attacks in North-east Nigeria since April, according to data compiled by Amnesty International.
Most of the attacks occurred in Borno with many of the suicide attacks carried out by women and girls forced into the act.
In neighbouring Cameroon, at least 158 people were also killed by the terror group within the same period.
The attacks have continued despite the efforts by the Nigerian military and its neighbouring partners to combat the terror group whose activities have caused about over 20,000 deaths since 2009.
In a statement on Tuesday, Amnesty said its data showed an increase in Boko Haram attacks between April and early September 2017 is compared to the corresponding period in 2016.
“Boko Haram is once again committing war crimes on a huge scale, exemplified by the depravity of forcing young girls to carry explosives with the sole intention of killing as many people as they possibly can,” said Alioune Tine, Amnesty International’s Director for West and Central Africa.
The statement further read: “This wave of shocking Boko Haram violence, propelled by a sharp rise in suicide bombings, highlights the urgent need for protection and assistance for millions of civilians in the Lake Chad region. Governments in Nigeria, Cameroon and beyond must take swift action to protect them from this campaign of terror.
“Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria have killed at least 223 civilians since April, though the real figure may be higher still as some attacks may have gone unreported. Between May and August, seven times’ more civilians were killed than in the preceding 4 months, while 100 civilians were killed in August alone”.
