Scores of Nigerian worshippers were killed on Thursday after two suicide bombers carried out an attack on a mosque in the northeastern city of Maiduguri.
The BBC reported that at least 30 people have died in the explosions, while AFP reported witnesses counting 42 dead bodies. One bomber detonated an explosive after entering the mosque and the second struck as worshippers attempted to escape.
The bombings, which occurred during Thursday evening prayers, caused the mosque to collapse, injuring many worshippers, Borno state police told AFP.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamist group Boko Haram was founded in the Borno state capital in 2002 and has previously targeted Maiduguri.
Boko Haram's six-year insurgency in northern Nigeria has displaced 1.4 million children and has threatened to spill over Nigeria's borders. Last week, suicide bombers killed more than 30 people in the town of Baga Sola in western Chad, where tens of thousands of Nigerians now live having fled their home country in an attempt to escape from Boko Haram. According to the Council of Foreign Relations' Nigeria Security Tracker, Boko Haram have killed more than 14,000 in the state of Borno alone since May 2011.
On Thursday, U.S. President Barack Obama said that 300 military personnel would be deployed to Cameroon, which borders Nigeria to the east, in order to help deal with the Boko Haram insurgency.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Conor is a staff writer for Newsweek covering Africa, with a focus on Nigeria, security and conflict.
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
