New mortar attack in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria

A man walks past the scene of the attack in Maiduguri on Thursday, December 23, 2021. At least four people were killed.

AP - Jossy Ola

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

The mortar fire hit the outskirts of the regional capital of Borno State, in northeastern Nigeria, shortly before the arrival of President Muhammadu Buhari, who was on an official site visit this Thursday, December 23, 2021. This new attack in the large town of Maiduguri left at least four dead and injured.

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With our correspondent in Lagos,

Five mortar rounds hit the outskirts of Maiduguri, two kilometers from the civilian airport and less than one kilometer from the Nigerian Air Force base.

A house was severely damaged.

A woman and her three children were killed.

Other wounded were taken care of by the emergency services.

►a read: In Nigeria, the mortar hit a residential area Prè

The Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP) group is suspected of being behind this deadly new attack, which took place just over an hour before President Muhammadu Buhari arrived there.

The Nigerian head of state was on an official visit to inaugurate a school and an urban viaduct in the capital of Borno state.

This new security incident also comes as the local governor has ordered the closure of all camps for displaced people in the city by the end of the year.

An operation that concerns around 200,000 people, forced to return to their villages of origin, nearly twelve years after the start of the jihadist insurgency which is tearing the region apart.

This decision is widely criticized by NGOs, who fear for the survival and safety of these vulnerable people.

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• Nigeria

• Terrorism

• Muhammadu Buhari