Summary:
- At least 18 people were killed and 30 injured in a series of suicide bombings in Gwoza, Nigeria, suspected to be carried out by female attackers. The blasts targeted a wedding, a funeral, and a hospital. President Bola Tinubu condemned the attacks and vowed justice. While no group has claimed responsibility, ISWAP is suspected.
At least 18 people were killed and 30 injured in northeastern Nigeria, with female suicide bombers suspected of carrying out the deadly blasts. The bombings targeted a wedding ceremony, the subsequent funeral, and a hospital in Gwoza, a town near the Cameroon border.
The Borno State emergency management agency confirmed the coordinated nature of the attacks. One of the bombings reportedly killed six people and injured several others at a wedding ceremony on Saturday.
President Bola Tinubu condemned the attacks as “desperate acts of terror” and vowed stern action against those responsible. “The purveyors of wanton violence shall have a certain encounter with justice,” a statement from his spokesperson said, emphasizing that these attacks will not undermine the recent gains against jihadists.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, the Nigeria-centered Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgents have a history of carrying out similar bombings in Borno. The confirmed death toll includes children, adults, and pregnant women, though some local media report the number of fatalities could be as high as 30.
The injuries sustained range from abdominal ruptures to skull and limb fractures. In response, a curfew has been imposed by the military.
International reactions have poured in, with Amnesty International Nigeria calling for an end to civilian assaults in Borno. The US Mission in Nigeria described the attack as “horrific” and a stark reminder of the ongoing terrorist threat in the region.
Borno state has been at the epicenter of a 15-year insurgency led by Boko Haram, displacing over two million people and causing more than 40,000 deaths. Boko Haram gained international infamy in 2014 with the kidnapping of over 270 schoolgirls from Chibok, also in Borno. Since then, the group has increasingly used female suicide bombers, with studies indicating that over half of all suicide bombers used by Boko Haram are women.
The recent attack in Gwoza reignites concerns about the jihadist groups’ capabilities and their ongoing threat. In November, Boko Haram insurgents killed 20 people returning from a funeral in neighboring Yobe state, a day after 17 were killed in Gurokayeya village for refusing to pay a so-called harvest tax.
