Militant attacks in Nigeria

This item appears on page 4 of the August 2020 issue.

Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state suffered from three militant attacks in June, each claimed by the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP), a faction of the Islamist group Boko Haram.

On June 10, at least 82 civilians were killed in an attack on a village in the Gubio district. The attackers kidnapped at least seven people and set fire to the village.

On June 15, two attacks occurred simultaneously, one in the town of Monguno, which houses UN and NGO aid workers, and another in the village of Nganzai. At least 60 people were killed in the attacks, including 40 civilians. No deaths of aid workers were reported. The Nigerian military said it killed at least 20 militants during the attacks.

Boko Haram and its offshoots have been engaged in an armed insurgency in Borno since 2009, often attacking and kidnapping civilians.