Nigeria Massacre

[Shadowhunter]

An Islamic extremist left at least 2,000 dead in Nigeria, said Amnesty International days ago, describing this as the deadliest massacre in the history of Boko Haram. Insurgents seized a key military base around Baga (a town on the Border with Chad) on January 3rd, attacked again on January 7th, and fighting continued om January 9th. After reaching the 2,000 mark of dead bodies, many have now given up counting, describing the scene of countless bodies still strewn through the bush as "thousands of dead bodies".

The District head has said most of the victims were children, women, and the elderly who could not run fast enough from the insurgents "firing rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles on town residents".

[Source: The Guardian UK]

Boko Haram is the same group that kidnapped 273 schoolgirls in April 2014 (about 230 are still missing).

[Source: The BBC UK]

Nine days later, it is still not safe for residents to return to Baga to bury bodies nor for emergency crews to assist residents as militants are still running the area. As this NIgerian town borders Chad, it gives the extremists better access to both countries.

"If reports that the town was largely razed to the ground and that hundreds or even as many as 2,000 civilians were killed are true, this marks a disturbing and bloody escalation of Boko Haram's ongoing onslaught," said Daniel Eyre, Nigeria researcher for Amnesty International.

In addition to those killed, injured, and/or missing, those who tried to swim to Chad to escape are now stranded on Kangala Island in Lake Chad, leaving more than 1,000 of these stranded residents dependent on relocation assistance as many of them are dying from lack of food, cold, and malaria.

Though Nigerian troops have claimed to be in pursuit of the militants, residents deny this and say it is propaganda as one native stated "not a single Nigerian soldier has shown up in Baga since it was seized by Boko Haram".

Many have accused the President's government of not doing enough about the insurgency, which mostly affects opposition strongholds. Nigeria will be holding its presidential elections next month. President Goodluck Jonathon held his re-election bid last week and did not say a word about the massacres.

[Source: CNN]


What do you think of this? What do you think of this going on for so long, starting before the French attack with little to no coverage of over 2,000 deaths in Nigeria (a daily war zone) as opposed to 17 in France?

 

[Saxman642]

African people dying en masse is not news.

Remember The Hutsi - Tutu war all teh way back in 1994? Nearly a million dead from one tribe at the hands of another. No one did anything. Not even the UN.

EDIT:

but then again, is the figure even accurate?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30794829

It is not easy to find out the truth in Nigeria. The Baga killings last week are a case in point, with politicians and government officials offering vastly different information - from 150 dead to 2,000.
News of another attack by Islamist militants from Boko Haram often starts as a vague one-liner as was the case on 3 January: "Attack on Baga. Loud gunfire heard."
This first bit of information often comes via social media. The challenge now is to find out the details and there are plenty of obstacles in the way of getting to the truth.
First up there has been no mobile phone connection in Baga for many months after the jihadists attacked mobile phone masts in the north-east.
There are of course the officials whose job it is to tell the world what's going on.
But for the first few days of the Baga crisis both the military spokesmen and government officials were silent or not picking up calls.
Then, often with help from colleagues from the BBC's Hausa service, the goal is to get through to people who have witnessed the violence.



Fleeing On 4 January we spoke to a man who had walked for two days through the bush, eventually getting a lift to the relative safety of the biggest city in the area, Maiduguri, on a lorry.
"There was shooting from every corner of the headquarters of the multinational task force," he tells me adding that the exchange of fire lasted hours.
Then there are more testimonies from witnesses who say the military base was overpowered and then the gunmen started killing civilians in Baga town.
But every witness we speak to is fleeing for their life. They are not hanging around Baga to check exactly what's happening so it is hard to be sure we are getting facts.
Then a local politician from the area weighs in with more accounts of people being shot in Baga and others dying as they fled, their boats capsizing on Lake Chad.
"I don't know how many people have been killed," says Senator Maina Maaji Lawan who represents Borno North.
"But at least 70% of the area I represent is in Boko Haram hands."
Four days after the attack and there's still silence from the government and the military.



Totally untrue Then some journalists manage to meet the chief of defence staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh.
It is not an organised news conference but a hurried exchange in a car park.
He is asked about the attack on the military base in Baga.
"Of course there was an attack," he shoots back.
"But don't worry we are at work."
Can we retake Baga? Mr Badeh is asked.
"Why not?" is the short reply. Seconds later he ducks into his car and is driven off.
It is an unusual way for the capture of Baga to be confirmed officially although it is worth noting this is the same very senior military official who told us a few months ago that a ceasefire deal had been reached with Boko Haram which turned out to be totally untrue.
More eyewitnesses fleeing Baga are telling the BBC about hundreds of bodies on the streets of Baga.
Another local politician says 2,000 are dead. But he's not there to count them - nobody is because it is far too dangerous - so it is hard to believe him.



Election focus Meanwhile in Paris news breaks of, initially at least, 12 people being shot dead by gunmen. Within minutes President Francois Hollande is speaking to the world's media offering some clarity and leadership.


"This is an act of exceptional barbarism," he begins and says security measures are in place to apprehend the perpetrators.
Ten days since Baga was first attacked and there have also been several suicide bombings.
But we have not heard a word from Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan - except for a statement condemning the Paris attacks.
The finance minister also appears keener to comment on events far away that have killed far less people.


"Terrible incident. Our deepest sympathies to the journalists and their families. We are one with France in mourning," tweets Ngozi Okonjo Iweala with the hash tag #JeSuisCharlie.
Meanwhile local TV stations follow every twist and turn of the presidential election campaign - some are lengthy programmes sponsored by rival political parties.
The media seem far more focused on the Valentine's Day vote. That seems to be where the politicians are focused too.
On Monday evening the government put out a statement saying "the number of people who lost their lives during the Baga attack has so far not exceeded about 150".
But we may never know how many have died in and around Baga.
We know there will never be an investigation that will reveal the truth.


It won't be the first time we are not sure if 150, 300, 500 or even 2,000 people were killed in a massacre in Nigeria.

 

[Shadowhunter]

I remember the genocide. I don't think the death toll really matters. More emphasis should be placed on the fact that these things keep happening with no opposition. I think these tragedies are used as a bit of a publicity stunt. Paris may get more attention as an unexpected tragedy in a first world country. Security teams up their ante, world leaders and celebs unite in solidarity, and everyone offers condolences for those who passed or has been injured and come together to move past the terrible deeds.

Nigeria however, is different. Things like this are regular in such places. So regular, in fact, that many people don't even bat an eye for it anymore. It's like an attention-hungry child kicking stuff around and the adults just roll their eyes and consider it a normal activity. Nigeria isn't asking for attention in that way, of course, but it's no longer shocking enough to warrant the attention other tragedies receive, like the "good kid" suddenly punching someone. People have become desensitized to news that to them, sounds redundant. People making cartoons that pissed a few people off were punished by death and terrorism. OH NO! What an outrage! We must march to show our support, we must not stand for this, freedom is a universal right, nobody deserves this, this is terrorism, etc. I agree.

However: Countless more deaths in Nigeria by an extremist Islamic militant group (who are being described as such, and not as terrorists, across all media). Again. i.e. Innocent, poor villagers in a third world (if it can qualify for such status) country/daily war-zone were shot, blown up, burned, slaughtered, forced out of their homes and entire village, separated from their families, and stranded with no food, water, or medical supplies, and continue fearing for their lives as the death toll builds while the injured succumb to their wounds and others starve while hiding from the terrorists - er - Islamic extremist militant group. Their crime is not making cartoons, which the world has deemed a trivial crime, but merely existing and being alive in their country. Aw, again? Sigh. Poor Nigeria. *changes channel*