Military aircraft bombed a site held by the Islamic State but also frequented by farmers and merchants. The Russian officers’ motto, “We wanted to do our best, we did as usual,” sadly fits the Nigerian army. On Saturday, several dozen people, mostly civilians, were killed by military planes in an anti-jihadist operation in the northeast of the country. This region has been facing an Islamic insurgency led by Boko Haram for more than sixteen years, now fueled by numerous dissident militias including the powerful Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP). Despite the context of this war, the casualties are alarming.
According to Issa Sanoussi, Nigeria director of Amnesty International, three to four aircraft opened fire in the middle of the market in Jili, a small town in Yobe State, near Borno State, the epicenter of the Islamist rebellion.
