1,600 people killed in Boko Haram attacks: Amnesty
Human rights group Amnesty International says at least 1,600 people have been killed in attacks carried out by Boko Haram militants since the start of June.
Amnesty said in a statement on Wednesday that the deaths occurred in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, where security forces are engaged in operations against the Takfiri militants.
The group added that at least 3,500 civilians have been killed by Boko Haram so far this year.
“The number of people killed so far this year is truly shocking, with more than 3,500 civilian fatalities in less than 300 days,” Amnesty’s Africa director for research and advocacy, Netsanet Belay, said.
Amnesty also called on the governments in the affected countries to take the necessary measures aimed at providing civilians with security.
Reports indicate that 1,260 people have been killed in Boko Haram violence in Nigeria alone since late May, with the majority of attacks happening in Borno State’s places of worship, markets and bus stations.
On September 20, about 140 people were killed in blasts in Borno’s capital, Maiduguri, and the provincial town of Monguno.
Boko Haram, which controls parts of northeastern Nigeria, started its militancy against the government in 2009. The militancy has now become a regional issue, having spilled over into Nigeria’s neighboring countries.
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