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Kano, Nigeria (AFP) – Boko Haram jihadists have seized control of a city in northeastern Nigeria after ransacking and occupying a military base, local officials told AFP on Saturday. and sources of security.
Dozens of fighters believed to be loyal to a Boko Haram faction affiliated with the Islamic State group stormed the Gudumbali base in the Guzamala region of Borno state.
At least eight civilians were reportedly killed, according to a member of the local civil militia.
The attack is the latest against the troops in recent weeks and the government is encouraging the return of displaced people from the capital of Borno State, Maiduguri, to Guzamala.
The authorities, who maintain that Islamist militants are severely weakened to the point of being defeated, say the region is safe so people can return despite ongoing attacks.
But aid agencies say that people living in makeshift camps are persuaded to return to areas with no basic service areas – and less security.
President Muhammadu Buhari was elected in 2015 to promise to defeat Boko Haram and is seeking a second term in the February elections.
A leader of the Guzamala local government area, whose headquarters Gudumbali is headquartered, told AFP: "It is true that Boko Haram took over Gudumbali this morning after driving troops out of the city's military installations. .
"They totally control the city and the military installations," said the official, speaking of the anonymity of Maiduguri for fear of a government sanction.
A military source in Maiduguri added: "The terrorists attacked the base around 19:50 (1850 GMT) and engaged soldiers in an intense battle that continued until Saturday morning when the troops were forced to to withdraw ".
The source, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not allowed to speak to the media, said he had no information about the victims.
But Musa Ari, a member of the local civil militia, said, "Most civilians were spared because the attack was targeting the military base.
"Until now, eight civilians who were shopping for soldiers would have been killed in the attack."
The IS-backed faction, led by Abu Musab al-Barnawi, has pledged to attack only "hard" military or government targets, as opposed to those loyal to long-time leader Abubakar Shekau.
The Shekau faction has been responsible for repeated suicide attacks and bomb attacks against civilians, as well as kidnappings during the nine years of conflict.
Ari said soldiers and residents had fled Gudumbali to Damasak, some 80 kilometers away, on the border with Niger.
Others fled south towards Gajiram, where nine soldiers were killed in a similar attack in June.
There was no immediate response from the Nigerian army.
Boko Haram captured Gudumbali in 2014 when pieces of territory were seized in northern Borno and declared their Islamic caliphate.
The military took over the city two years later in a regional response involving troops from neighboring Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
