The latest Boko Haram massacre is being called the deadliest ever with more than 2,000 people feared dead. According to Fox News , it has been nine days since the attack in Nigeria , and sources say that dead bodies still litter the area. Many are in bushes where people were shot while trying to hide.
“District head Baba Abba Hassan said most victims are children, women and elderly people who couldn’t escape when insurgents drove into Baga, firing rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles on town residents,” reports Fox News . And the attacks haven’t stopped. A 10-year-old female suicide bomber killed nearly 20 people in the same area over the weekend.
The Boko Haram massacre has left a trail of bodies behind, many of which cannot yet be recovered due to the continued instability in the area. According to CNN , officials fear more attacks , and are unable to retrieve bodies because the conditions are still not safe.
“It is still not safe to go and pick them up for burial,” said Musa Bukar, the chairman of the local government.
“If reports that the town was largely razed to the ground and that hundreds or even as many as 2,000 civilians were killed are true, this marks a disturbing and bloody escalation of Boko Haram’s ongoing onslaught,” said Daniel Eyre, Nigeria researcher for Amnesty International.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr , the attacks this month could have an effect on the upcoming elections , which are scheduled for Feb. 14.
“Boko Haram members are part of a radical Islamist group who do not believe in elections and the principle of democracy. The recent attacks will undoubtedly strike fear in many voters and potentially result in low voter turnout during the upcoming elections.”
This Boko Haram massacre might be the deadliest to date, but others fear that the worst is yet to come. There has been an ongoing call for the world to get involved and to put an end to this group, but so far, the attacks have only escalated, and thousands of innocent lives have been lost.
The U.S. released a statement after the attacks, stressing the importance of the country’s 2015 elections.
“We urge Nigeria and its neighbors to take all possible steps to address the urgent threat of Boko Haram. Even in the face of these horrifying attacks, terrorist organizations like Boko Haram must not distract Nigeria from carrying out credible and peaceful elections that reflect the will of the Nigerian people,” said Jen Psaki, U.S. State Department spokesperson.
[Photo courtesy of Aljazeera ]
