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100 killed in airstrike: Nigerian army implicated in bombing civilians again
Amnesty International: Second airstrike kills dozens of civilians in crowded market
Written by Ziad Abdel Fattah
Amnesty International said today that at least 100 civilians were killed in a Nigerian army airstrike on a crowded market in Zamfara state in the northwest of the country, and urged authorities to launch an immediate investigation.
The air raid, which targeted the remote Tomfa market in Zermi DistrictSunday's attack was the second in a month to kill dozens of civilians in a crowded market in northern Nigeria.
Dozens of injured people are receiving treatment in nearby hospitals.
Amnesty International said dozens of injured people were being treated at hospitals in Zermi and nearby Shenkavi, adding that many of the dead were women and girls.
The Nigerian military did not respond to requests for comment, but has previously denied targeting civilians, saying that airstrikes are based on intelligence and target only armed targets.
Amnesty International quoted eyewitnesses as saying that military aircraft were spotted circling the area at midday, then returned about two hours later and attacked the crowded market.
Around 200 civilians were killed in a similar airstrike during April.
In April, about 200 civilians were killed in a similar air raid targeting a weekly market in Jili, northeast Nigeria, and the army has opened an investigation into the incident.
Residents say they are increasingly concerned about civilian casualties from airstrikes and military operations in the northern regions.
The Nigerian army is fighting bandits in the northwest and an Islamist insurgency that has been ongoing for 17 years in the northeast.
The United States launched airstrikes on what it described as Islamic bases in northwest Nigeria on Christmas Day last year, after President Donald Trump accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians.
Amnesty International said: “This pattern of human rights abuses is increasingly becoming the norm, with villagers being subjected to atrocities by armed groups, bandits and the army.” It described the airstrikes as unlawful and said they showed a disregard for civilian lives.
