Nigeria Boko Haram crisis: Militants 'kill 40' in Monguno
- 3 hours ago
- From the section Africa
At least 40 people are reported to have been killed by Islamist militants in the north-east Nigeria town of Monguno.
A local official told a BBC reporter in Abuja that they had been slaughtered; another resident said they were shot.The killings are said to have happened two days ago, but details are only now emerging.
Monguno, in Borno state, had been overrun and occupied by Boko Haram fighters until they were recently driven out by the Nigerian military.
At least 23 people died in the town last month after a confiscated Boko Haram bomb exploded during celebrations to mark the successful military operation against the Islamist group.
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The Nigerian army is also reportedly carrying out a rescue mission to the town.
Despite losing territory in north-eastern Nigeria this year, Boko Haram still controls a few areas.
According to Amnesty International, at least 17,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the group launched their violent uprising to impose Islamic rule in 2009.
The group is still holding many women, girls and children captive, including 219 schoolgirls it kidnapped from a school in Chibok in April last year.
Boko Haram at a glance
- Founded in 2002, initially focused on opposing Western-style education - Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language
- Launched military operations in 2009 to create Islamic state
- Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria - has also attacked police and UN headquarters in capital, Abuja
- Has abducted hundreds, including at least 200 schoolgirls
- Seized vast area in north-east, where it declared caliphate
- Regional force has retaken most territory
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