The International Committee of the Red Cross has raised alarms about a worsening humanitarian crisis in Nigeria and neighbouring Niger as tens of thousands flee Boko Haram’s violent attacks.
The exact death toll from last week’s suspected massacre in Baga, a town near Lake Chad, remains unknown, though some reports suggest the number could reach into the thousands. Amnesty International estimates that hundreds, possibly more, were killed when militants attacked on January 3, targeting civilian vigilante groups assisting the military.
Amnesty also released satellite images of Baga and nearby Doron Baga showing widespread destruction, with large portions of both towns reduced to ashes. The organisation reported that more than 3,700 structures were damaged or destroyed – 620 in Baga and over 3,100 in Doron Baga.
Local officials say Baga and at least 16 surrounding villages were burned down, forcing at least 20,000 residents to flee. Doctors Without Borders says it has supported about 5,000 survivors in Maiduguri, while the UN reports that more than 11,300 people have crossed into Chad seeking refuge.
Amnesty described the assault as Boko Haram’s most devastating attack to date in its push to establish an extremist Islamic state in north-eastern Nigeria, calling the killings and destruction war crimes that must be investigated.
Witnesses also reported that around 300 women were rounded up, with older women and children released after four days, while younger women remained captive.
The attack occurred weeks before Nigeria’s presidential and parliamentary elections, and the surge in violence appears aimed at destabilising the poll.
Meanwhile, suicide bombings carried out by girls as young as 10 killed dozens in Maiduguri and Yobe shortly after the Baga incident.
The ICRC says many displaced people have been left injured, ill, or separated from their families. According to the UN, more than 115,000 people have fled Nigeria since 2013 as Boko Haram’s insurgency intensifies.
