twenty women killed by Boko Haram

Boko Haram militants killed around 20 women in northeastern Nigeria, relatives and a survivor told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Sunday, November 13.

About 40 women, suspected of practicing witchcraft after the sudden death of the children of a commander of the jihadist group, were arrested a week earlier and held in the village of Ahraza, near the town of Gwoza, in the state of Borno, on the orders of the jihadist leader Ali Guyile, according to these sources.

[Ali Guyile] said he would investigate our involvement in the deaths of his children and give appropriate punishment if found guilty”said Talkwe Linbe, who fled to the regional capital, Maiduguri. “On Thursday he ordered fourteen of us shot. I was lucky not to be part of it and my boyfriend, among the men guarding us, helped me escape that same night”added the 67-year-old woman.

Recurring accusations

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Accusations of witchcraft are not uncommon in Nigeria, despite the country’s religious conservatism, which is divided between a predominantly Muslim north and a predominantly Christian south. Saturday, the day when Mme Linbe arrived in Maiduguri, twelve other women were massacred, according to locals.

“I received a call from Gwoza informing me that my mother, two aunts and nine other women were massacred [samedi] on the orders of Ali Guyile, who accused them of being witches who killed his three children”said Abdullahi Gyya, who lives in Maiduguri.

Tijjani Usman, a Maiduguri resident from Gwoza, confirmed this information based on calls he received from his connections in Gwoza. The fate of the other female detainees is currently unknown.

When contacted, the Nigerian military did not immediately respond, but security sources said they were investigating. The Borno state women’s affairs commissioner told AFP that she had not heard of the incident but would look into the matter.

Nigerian security forces are struggling to fight Boko Haram and jihadists affiliated with the Islamic State group, whose insurgency has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced 2 million since 2009.

The World with AFP

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