Boko Haram militants have killed thousands in their attempt to establish an Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria.
Boko Haram began attacking the town of Baga in Nigeria on Tuesday night and continued their attacks throughout Wednesday. Their onslaught on the town alone has left dozens dead, and numerous homes burned. Thousands of residents of Baga fled the town.
On Saturday, the militant group seized a multinational military base near Baga and has been unopposed since. The military base was used to combat the Boko Haram forces. It is estimated that Boko Haram currently controls 70 percent of Nigeria’s northeastern territory of Borno State. The Nigerian security forces have been heavily criticized for not being effective in combatting the militant group. Many claim that the national defense forces are often unresponsive, or flee, during Boko Haram attacks.
Musa Alhaji Bukar, a senior government official in the area, told BBC news that Boko Haram had devastated the town of Baga. The town of 10,000 is “virtually non-existent. It has been burnt down,” said Bukar.
In the past year alone, Boko Haram killed more than 10,000 and displaced 1.5 million individuals. The extremist Islamic group reportedly attacks towns such as Baga in order to instill fear within the community and discourage loyalty to the Nigerian government.
"I escaped with my family in the car after seeing how Boko Haram was killing people ... I saw bodies in the street. Children and women, some were crying for help,” Mohamed Bukar, a local who fled to the state capital of Maiduguri, told Reuters.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan received heavy criticism for Boko Haram’s advances. On Thursday, the Nigerian President began his reelection campaign and the elections are planned to take place on February 14. The attacks by Boko Haram and the general lack of governability in the northeast makes it doubtful that elections will take place in that region. Officials do not plan to move the 2015 election date.
