[ad_1]
Six people are missing as a result of an ambush by an alleged jihadist in a humanitarian convoy in the state of Borno, northeastern Nigeria, said Friday a humanitarian group.
Action Against Hunger (ACF) said in a statement that one staff member was among those missing after the convoy was ambushed in Kennari, a village near the city of Damasak, near the border with Niger.
"One of the drivers was killed, while one Action Against Hunger staff member, two of the drivers and three health workers went missing," ACF said.
"We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident because they are colleagues who are dedicated to providing vital badistance," they added.
IMN: Between civil disobedience and terrorism(Opens in a new browser tab)
United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator Edward Kallon said he was "deeply troubled" by the attack.
"I call on anyone who can influence to do everything in their power to protect them from harm and to work for their safe return," he said.
An ISIS-affiliated group, the Islamic State of West Africa (ISWAP), is active in the region and has repeatedly attacked military bases.
According to an NGO, Nigerians abroad live in a palpable fear(Opens in a new browser tab)
The convoy of three vehicles was returning to Damasak from Layi village, where ACF runs a health clinic for residents, when armed men opened fire, according to a humanitarian source who requested anonymity.
One of the vehicles left the road and crashed into a tree, killing the driver.
"The four people were stuck in the car and seized by the attackers," said a humanitarian source.
"The occupants of the other vehicles abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot to Damasak, eight kilometers away," the source added.
The jihadist uprising in northeastern Nigeria has been raging for a decade.
The division within Boko Haram further complicated the conflict. In 2016, ISWAP, a group that swore allegiance to the head of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is separated.
Since 2009, more than 27,000 people have been killed, about two million have fled their homes and millions of people are dependent on aid.
Jihadists are increasingly targeting NGOs.
Two women employed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were murdered by ISWAP last year and the group still has a humanitarian worker from Unicef, a UN agency for children.
The trio was seized during a raid in the remote town of Rann, in the north-east of the country, where three Unicef personnel were killed as well as eight soldiers.
VANGUARD
Related
[ad_2]
Source link
