At least 15 people, including farmers and children, were killed on Thursday, 31 July, in northeastern Nigeria during an armed attack carried out by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants, followed by a deadly landmine explosion. The incident was confirmed to AFP by two members of local militias fighting jihadists.
According to witnesses, the militants opened fire on a group of farmers and children traveling in an open pick-up truck and a motorcycle near Gurnowa village, close to the garrison town of Monguno. After the attack, a woman and her three children died when the cart they were escaping on hit a landmine planted by the jihadists.
“Our men transported the bodies of 11 victims to Monguno, while another team went to retrieve the bodies of the woman and her children,” said Babakura Kolo, a leader of an anti-jihadist militia that supports the Nigerian army in the region.
According to Kolo, the victims were returning home after working in their fields when they were ambushed by the militants, who also stole the truck and motorcycle. Ibrahim Liman, another militia member, confirmed the death toll and added, “The woman and children were heading home after the shooting but hit an explosive device planted by the terrorists, dying instantly.“
An AFP journalist, after seeing images of the victims, reported that most were executed with gunshots to the head, including two women and two children.
Gurnowa village, located about five kilometers from the fortified town of Monguno, has been abandoned for years due to repeated jihadist attacks. Residents have sought shelter in makeshift camps in Monguno, where tens of thousands of internally displaced people now live under military protection.
The ISWAP group and its rival, Boko Haram, have recently increased attacks against military bases in northeastern Nigeria, especially in Borno State, the epicenter of a conflict that has raged since 2009.
According to the United Nations, more than one million people in this region are at risk of starvation due to renewed violence, a drop in international aid, and the rising cost of living. The conflict has caused over 40,000 deaths and displaced more than two million people.
