Jihadists presumed to be members of the West African branch of the Islamic State group have killed 32 people, including 25 herders, in two separate attacks in north-east Nigeria, a local militia group announced on Thursday July 27.
The attacks took place on Tuesday in the Lake Chad region of Borno state, where the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap) group controls large swathes of territory. In the first attack, Iswap fighters on motorbikes killed 25 Fulani herders grazing their cattle in the Gudumbali forest, 95 km from the regional capital Maiduguri, according to sources.
“The terrorists killed 25 herders and left without taking anything from them”, said the head of an anti-jihadist militia, Babakura Kolo. The jihadists had ordered them to leave the area, accusing them of spying for the army and local militias fighting them, said Mr Kolo.
“The majority of the 25 victims were shot dead, while some were killed with knives”, said Umar Ari, a member of the militia, who took part in Wednesday’s funeral.
Rival groups Boko Haram and Iswap are increasingly targeting loggers, herders, farmers, fishermen and scrap merchants, whom they accuse of being informers. Just hours after the first attack on Tuesday, seven men were shot dead by Iswap members manning a checkpoint in the village of Borno-Yasin, according to the militia.