As reported by Al-Jazeera, on 5 December 2023, a drone attack killed 85 civilians by mistake. The drone strike hit a large group of people who had gathered to pray for a religious celebration over the weekend.
According to Al-Jazeera, the attack was the latest in recent errant bombings of residents in Nigeria’s troubled regions; between February 2014, when a Nigerian military aircraft dropped a bomb on Daglun in Borno state killing 20 civilians, and September 2022, there were at least 14 documented incidents of such bombings in residential areas.At the same time, rebel attacks have ravaged parts of Nigeria’s northwest and central regions.
The country’s forces frequently target the hideouts of armed groups with aerial bombardment but have sometimes bombed villagers.
According to Amnesty International Nigeria, there were more than 120 victims (not 85) and they stated that the civilians have been hit in two different attacks that occurred close to each other.
Initially, at around 10 pm on 3 December, the Nigerian army allegedly launched an air attack against a religious gathering in Tudun Biri, a village in the north of the country.
A second airstrike was reportedly launched about 30 minutes later and killed dozens of people, including those who had rushed to the scene to rescue the victims of the initial attack.
As reported by Al-Jazeera, the accident was a mistake due to a routine mission against terrorists but inadvertently affected members of the community,” declared the Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security quoted Major-General Valentine Okoro, head of the army division.
Although the local authorities have promised to shed light on the incident and to work to ensure that such incidents do not happen again, there are dozens of victims, including women and children, and as many injured.
The civilian population of northern Nigeria lives in constant fear of the consequences of drone attacks.
To read more, visit:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/5/nigerian-military-drone-attack-kills-85-civilians-in-error
