Dead bodies found in Damasak, Borno
Hundreds of bodies, including women and children, have been
found dead in the northeast Nigerian town of Damasak, Borno State, apparently
victims of Boko Haram fighters, local residents have said.
Reports of decomposing bodies littering the streets of
Damasak came as president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari denounced Boko Haram as a
bogus religious group and vowed a hard line against its fighters when he takes
office at the end of next month, according to Aljazeera.
The grim find in Damasak "far outnumbered" that of
about 100 bodies found in a mass grave under a bridge after the town was
liberated in early March by Chadian forces, said local resident Kaumi Kusur,
the AFP news agency reported.
"Dead bodies were found in houses, streets and many
more in the Damasak River which has dried up," he said, adding the victims
were buried in 20 mass graves at the weekend.
The northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe have been
relentlessly targeted throughout Boko Haram's six-year uprising but there had
been a lull in violence in recent weeks.
A coalition of troops from Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria
has claimed major victories since February, reportedly flushing the fighters
out of areas they previously controlled.
Boko Haram opposes Western education and wants to impose
Islamic law in all 36 states of Nigeria, which is roughly equally divided
between a predominantly Muslim north and a mainly Christian south.
The discovery of the bodies in Damasak appeared to underline
both the brutality of the conflict and the continuing threat posed by the
fighters.
Mohammed Sadiq, another local who helped in the burials on
Saturday, put the death toll at more than 400 but the Borno state government
did not state a precise figure, giving a toll of "hundreds".
The victims had been covered by sand from the encroaching
desert, with the burial ordered by the state authorities, which are looking at
the return of thousands of people displaced by the violence.
Buhari, who takes office on May 29, was elected last month
on a pledge of a tougher approach to Boko Haram than the current administration
of President Goodluck Jonathan.
The former military ruler said in a statement issued by his
All Progressives Congress party: "No religion allows for the killing of
children in school dormitories, in markets and places of worship.
"They have nothing to do with religion. They are
terrorists and we are going to deal with them as we deal with terrorists."
Buhari was speaking after Boko Haram fighters stormed the
island of Karamga on Lake Chad in motorised canoes before sunrise on Saturday.
Troops from Niger stationed on the island "were caught
off guard" and suffered heavy losses, said Umar Yerima, a fisherman who
witnessed the raid but escaped by hiding in long grass near the shore.
Niger's military confirmed the attack but did not provide a
death toll.
A security source in Chad said Niger lost 48 soldiers and
another 36 were missing.
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