Nigeria Rocked by Deadly Suicide Attacks; Pregnant Women Among 18 Dead, 42 Injured

On Saturday, northeastern Nigeria experienced a series of suicide attacks that left at least 18 people dead and 42 others injured. The attacks targeted a wedding, a hospital, and a funeral.

For over a decade, the region has suffered from violence linked to the jihadist group Boko Haram. Although Boko Haram did not immediately claim responsibility for these attacks, the group is often blamed for such violence, according to AFP.

In one of the three explosions in the town of Gwoza, a woman carrying a baby on her back set off explosives during a wedding ceremony, as reported by a state police spokesman.

“At around 3:45 PM (2:45 PM GMT), a woman with a baby on her back detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at a crowded motor park,” said Nahum Kenneth Daso, the police spokesman for Borno State.

Authorities also reported that female suicide bombers targeted a hospital in the same town, which is near the border with Cameroon. Another attack occurred later at the funeral for the victims of the wedding blast.

The Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) confirmed that at least 18 people were killed and 42 others injured in these attacks.

“So far, 18 deaths, including children, men, women, and pregnant women, have been reported,” said Barkindo Saidu, the head of the agency, in a report seen by AFP.

Nineteen people with serious injuries were taken to the regional capital, Maiduguri, while 23 others were waiting to be evacuated, Saidu added.

A militia member supporting the military in Gwoza reported that two of his colleagues and a soldier were killed in a separate attack on a security outpost.

What is Boko Haram?

Boko Haram is a jihadist terrorist group formed in 2002 by the late Muslim cleric Mohammed Yusuf in Nigeria. In 2009, the group started an insurgency and campaign of terror against the Nigerian government, its security forces, and civilians.

By 2015, Boko Haram had taken control of an area in northeastern Nigeria roughly the size of Belgium. Although the Nigerian military has since reclaimed most of this territory, Boko Haram continues to operate in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

In 2015, Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and began calling itself ISIS in West Africa (ISIS-WA). After a leadership change by ISIS in 2016, Boko Haram split into two factions: one led by Abubakar Shekau, which continued as Boko Haram, and the other as ISIS-WA.

In recent years, Boko Haram has been fighting against ISIS-WA, the Nigerian military, and regional forces under the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF). This conflict has resulted in the loss of territory, casualties, defections, desertions, and surrenders. Despite these challenges, Boko Haram has maintained a limited safe haven in northeast Nigeria into 2024.

Between 2009 and 2023, violence linked to Boko Haram and ISIS-WA has caused an estimated 40,000 deaths, mostly civilians, and displaced up to 3 million people.

The conflict has spread to neighboring Niger, Cameroon, and Chad, leading to the formation of a regional military coalition to combat the militants.

How is Boko Haram Funded?

Boko Haram primarily funds itself through criminal activities such as looting, extortion, kidnapping for ransom, bank robberies, cattle theft, and hired assassinations. The group has also seized vehicles, weapons, ammunition, and supplies from the Nigerian military.

Additionally, Boko Haram has acquired other arms from the local black market.

Although Boko Haram has lost ground in recent years, jihadists continue to attack rural communities in Nigeria regularly. Throughout the insurgency, Boko Haram has frequently used young women and girls to carry out suicide attacks. The group has also conducted raids, killing men and kidnapping women who venture outside towns in search of firewood and acacia fruits.