On 25 June 2017, a new sequence of attacks by Boko Haram began. Multiple suicide bombers struck the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, killing nine civilians and injuring 13. Though no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, the use of suicide bombers is very characteristic of Boko Haram. On the 24th and 25th of June, Boko Haram attacks in Chad left eight soldiers dead and 18 wounded.

More than 20,000 people have been killed since Boko Haram launched an armed campaign in 2009 to create an ISIS in northeast Nigeria. In the most recent attack in Maiduguri, a male suicide bomber killed a security guard upon entering the University of Maiduguri. An hour later, four female suicide bombers killed eight people around the outskirts of the city. These are just a few of the many attacks that have occurred in Maiduguri in the past few weeks.

The attack in Chad occurred when Boko Haram fighters launched an attack during the weekend on the islands on Lake Chad. Chad army spokesman Colonel Azem stated that the troops killed 162 Boko Haram fighters and destroyed six of their vehicles. The troops also destroyed many of the motorcycles favoured by Boko Haram in their raids.

Nigeria’s army has helped make progress however, as it pushed Boko Haram out of a territory that had been under their control until early 2015 with the help of UN troops. Chad is part of a five-nation regional force which consists of Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, and Benin, all being forces fighting against Boko Haram. Chad has contributed 1,390 soldiers, the third-largest contingent to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

To read more, visit:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/boko-haram-attacks-blamed-deaths-nigeria-chad-170626140339123.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-boko-haram-attacks-idUSKBN0P41BA20150625