Thousands flee Nigeria days after latest terror attacks

The United Nations said on Tuesday that the latest wave of Boko Haram's "vicious, ruthless attacks" in northeastern Nigeria had seen more than 11,300 people flee into neighboring Chad in a matter of days.

The Islamist group stormed the town of Baga and at least 16 surrounding settlements on January 3.

During a press briefing in Geneva, the UN refugee agency said the attack was feared to have been the worst massacre since Boko Haram's insurgency began in 2009. Around 20,000 people in total are believed to have fled their homes in the Baga area in Borno state.

Of the 11,000-plus refugees who fled to Chad, more than half were said to be women and children, with some youngsters crossing the border alone.

Widespread condemnation

Referring to the Baga massacre, spokeswoman for the UN human rights agency, Ravina Shamdasani said, "We deeply deplore the vicious, ruthless attacks against civilians."

Details of the attack and the aftermath are still unclear as aid workers have been unable to enter the area, though Shamdasani said it appeared "fairly certain... that mass killings and mass forced displacement have occurred."

"The deliberate targeting of civilians is clearly prohibited by international law and we are very concerned at reports that there were children and elderly people among the victims," she said.

Children used as bomb

Shamdasani also voiced concern over Saturday's attack at a crowded market in Potiskum that killed 19 people. It was believed to have been carried out by a 10-year-old girl.

"The use of a child to detonate a bomb is not only morally repugnant but constitutes an egregious form of child exploitation under international law," she said, urging the Nigerian government to "act swiftly to restore law and order."

The African Union also denounced what it described as Boko Haram's "despicable attacks" in parts of Nigeria and elsewhere in the region.

The head of the African Union's Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, said in a statement she was "especially horrified" by the Baga massacre and Potiskum bomb blast.

Zuma also made reference to "the involvement of female suicide bombers, one reported to be 10 years old."

An estimated 135,000 people have fled Nigeria's restive northeast, and at least 850,000 have been displaced inside the region in Boko Haram's five-year-long terror campaign.

lw/bk (AFP, dpa)