Attacks in Nigeria

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This item appears on page 18 of the September 2013 issue.

Some Nigerian military troops have been pulled from the African Union peacekeeping forces in Mali to return home and assist operations against the terrorist group Boko Haram. The group, whose name is sometimes translated as “Western education is forbidden,” has increased its attacks on schools and civilians. 

Bomb attacks and violence have increased in the northeastern Nigerian states of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa, which border Cameroon. In July, attacks in Yobe killed 28 students and a teacher at a boarding school, and explosions at a bus station in Kano killed at least 12 people.

Thousands of refugees are fleeing the area to nearby Chad, Niger and Cameroon. Because of the instability and the possibility of kidnapping and violence against Westerners, travel to the region is strongly discouraged.