In one of the deadliest attacks in Nigeria’s Borno, at least 57 people were killed and over 70 reported missing after militants linked to Boko Haram‘s Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) faction attacked two villages on Thursday.Eyewitnesses said that militants stormed the neighbouring villages of Mallam Karamti and Kwatandashi, gathering more than 100 residents and forcing them into the surrounding bush, news agency AP reported.According to locals, 57 bodies were recovered by Saturday, many with their throats slit, while others had been shot.Witnesses also said the victims’ burial was delayed due to the military’s unavailability to assist in the search for bodies.A spokesperson for the Borno state government said that they could not confirm the exact casualty figures, while the Nigerian military has yet to respond to requests for comment.The villagers were accused of being informants for the rival Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). While ISWAP is known for attacking military targets, the JAS faction has increasingly focused on civilians and suspected collaborators, relying on robberies and kidnappings for ransom.“Without the capacity to attack the military like ISWAP, JAS is focused on terrorizing civilians,” said Malik Samuel, a conflict expert with the nonprofit Good Governance Africa.Years of conflict and rising militancy in BornoThe mass killing occurred during a surge of violence in Borno state. On Monday, ISWAP militants launched a deadly assault on the Nigerian Army’s 50 Task Force Battalion in Marte, killing several soldiers and seizing weapons and ammunition.Following this, displaced residents in Marte fled to Dikwa, a key humanitarian hub. However, aid organizations are now withdrawing from the area due to international funding cuts.In a separate incident on Saturday afternoon, a roadside bomb exploded along the Maiduguri-Damboa road, the second such attack in a week which killed 4 people and injured 10 others.Three people died at the scene, and a fourth succumbed to injuries Sunday morning at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH). More than 10 others were still being treated for injuries at the hospital, a local resident, Lawan Bukar Maigana, who has assisted the community in emergencies, said.Since 2009, the Boko Haram insurgency has caused over 35,000 deaths and displaced 2.6 million people across Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, and Chad, with Borno remaining the worst affected.The insurgents aim to establish an all Islamic state across these four countries, with Nigeria—West Africa’s most populous nation and oil powerhouse—as their primary target.The Nigerian government has claimed progress against the insurgency, but the militants continue to attack civilians and military and have expanded into other regions, including central Nigeria where the capital Abuja is located, according to experts and public records on counterterrorism.While the Nigerian government claims it has made progress in combating the insurgency, militant attacks continue against both civilians and security forces.
