April 12, 2026, 8:13 p.mApril 12, 2026, 8:13 p.m
Dozens of people are feared dead after an air strike by the Nigerian military on a market in the northeast of the country. The human rights organization Amnesty International said more than a hundred people were killed in the attack. Local media, citing eyewitnesses, reported between 30 and 200 deaths. Authorities, including police, confirmed the incident but no official death toll was given.
Three military jets fired on the market in Jalli Futchimiram on the border between Borno and Yobe states on Saturday afternoon. The military carries out operations there against Islamist terrorist groups, including the IS West Africa Province (ISWAP) group, which is linked to the terrorist militia Islamic State.
Military confirms airstrikes
The Nigerian military said airstrikes had been carried out in the area, saying the operation targeted “an important corridor for terrorist movements and a gathering point for Islamic State West Africa Province terrorists and their accomplices.”
“Dozens of terrorists were neutralized in the attacks, their vehicles and technical equipment destroyed while surviving elements were seen fleeing in different directions,” said a statement signed by military spokesman Sani Uba.
Failures have already affected civilians in the past
The Nigerian military relies heavily on airstrikes to combat jihadists who have been fighting the state in northeastern Nigeria for 16 years. Civilians were also killed several times in misdirected strikes. One of the worst incidents occurred in 2017, when a camp for internally displaced people was bombed, killing 112 civilians.
Serious attacks by armed groups also occur again and again in other regions of Africa’s most populous country. The multitude of security crises is stretching the strength of the country’s security authorities.
The USA has recently been increasingly supporting Nigeria in the fight against terrorism. After a US airstrike on Christmas that targeted armed groups, around 100 US soldiers arrived in the country in mid-February to train and advise Nigerian armed forces. (hkl/sda/dpa)