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NIGERIA-UNREST-BOKOHARAM
Boko Haram attacks military base in Nigeria
KANO, Nigeria, Jan 15, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Boko Haram fighters attacked a
military base in remote northeast Nigeria, setting fire to shelters for those
made homeless by the conflict, military and humanitarian sources told AFP
Tuesday.
The attack in Rann, some 175 kilometres (110 miles) northeast of the Borno
state capital, Maiduguri, began late on Monday afternoon and forced civilians
to flee.
It followed a pattern by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP)
faction of Boko Haram that has called into question government claims the
group is virtually defeated.
A similar attempt was made to take over a military base in Magumeri, 50
kilometres northwest of Maiduguri, on Sunday, a local community leader said.
Rann currently hosts some 35,000 internally displaced people (IDPs),
according to the International Organization for Migration.
It has been repeatedly hit in the conflict, exacerbating already dire
humanitarian conditions on the ground.
A military source in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, said the attack
began at about 5:20 pm (1620 GMT) on Monday.
“The terrorists took over a military position in Rann following heavy
fighting,” he said on condition of anonymity.
Poor visibility because of seasonal Harmattan winds hampered the deployment
of air force jets, and troops were forced to withdraw, he added.
– Camps torched –
“The terrorists went about setting fire to camps and shelters of IDPs. Most
people have fled the town into the bush but we have no details of casualties
at the moment.”
An aid worker in Maiduguri added: “We have been in touch with some aid
workers in Rann, who said the town had been taken by ISWAP and camps were
being burned.
“They had to flee towards Bulale on the Cameroon side of the border. The
details are sketchy.”
The United Nations last week said more than 30,000 people fled after a
similar attack in and around the Borno town of Baga in late December.
Some 260 aid workers had also been forced to withdraw from three local
government areas in northern Borno near Lake Chad, where ISWAP are known to
operate.
Humanitarian operations in Rann were suspended in March last year after
another attack on a military base, which killed three aid workers.
Two out of three health workers who were kidnapped have since been
executed.
Scores of people were killed in January 2017 when Nigerian air force jets
mistakenly bombed the IDP camp in Rann.
The Islamist insurgency began in 2009 and has killed more than 27,000. Some
1.8 million people are still homeless.
BSS/AFP/GMR/1300 hrs