A Catholic archbishop in Northern Nigeria has accused the West of ignoring the threat and continuing atrocities of the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram.
Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, president of the Nigerian Bishops Conference, said the world must show more determination to halt the group’s advance, and “show the same spirit and resolve as that expressed after the terrrorist attacks in France”.
He spoke after the massacre of up to 2,000 people by the group in Borno and Yobe states. The West was urged to act before Boko Haram destabilises the whole region. “I can smell a lot more trouble,” warned Archbishop Kaigama. Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan issued a statement condemning the Paris attacks but rarely comments on attacks in his own country. He has promised to improve the effectiveness of the Nigerian army after the country’s presidential elections in February.
The heavy death toll in Baga, a northeastern town on the border with Chad, after Boko Haram took over the town last week, included women, children and the elderly who could not outrun rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifle fire. Amnesty International described the attack as the “deadliest massacre” in the history of Boko Haram.
A further 30,000 people fled their homes, with 7,500 seeking sanctuary in Chad. Many are feared to have drowned trying to cross Lake Chad, with others marooned on islands. Sixteen villages and several churches were razed to the ground across northeast Nigeria, and Boko Haram also used a child of around 10 years to carry out a suicide bombing in the city of Maiduguri, killing at least 19 people.
"The new strategy of Boko Haram terrorists to use innocent children as human bombs is abhorrent and unimaginable," said Archbishop Kaigama. He applauded prominent Muslim leaders who “are distancing themselves from Boko Haram and have condemned their terrible actions”.
On Thursday Amnesty released satellite images apparently showing widespread destruction of Nigerian towns attacked by Boko Haram.
The images have been processed to make vegetation clearer. Red areas indicate healthy vegetation.
They show more than 3,700 structures damaged or destroyed in Baga and Doron Baga this month and suggest a high death toll, the charity said.
Nigeria's Government has disputed reports that the death toll was as high as 2,000, putting it at just 150.
Source: Digital Globe/Amnesty International
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