At least 10 people were killed when jihadists attacked a northeast Nigerian town, burning down a UN office and prompting thousands to flee across the border into Niger, local officials and the UN said on Thursday. “The destruction the insurgents wrought on Damasak this time is unprecedented,” local government chairman Mustapha Bunu Kolo told AFP. Its statement said the full scale of displacement was still unclear as the humanitarian groups withdrew staff due to insecurity. Critics and local residents say the strategy to pull back into larger bases has left jihadists freer to roam unchallenged in rural areas. The EU said on Thursday it was following with “deep concern” the recurrent violent attacks on the town.

Source: The Guardian April 15, 2021 14:15 UTC