A series of coordinated attacks by suspected female suicide bombers in the northeastern Nigerian town of Gwoza on Saturday resulted in the deaths of 18 people and injuries to 30 others, including 19 with serious wounds.
The first explosion occurred during a marriage celebration around 3 p.m., according to Barkindo Saidu, director-general of Borno State Emergency Management Agency. Minutes later, a second blast hit near General Hospital, followed by a third attack at a funeral service by a female bomber disguised as a mourner. Tragically, children and pregnant women were among the victims.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, Gwoza is situated in Borno state, a region heavily impacted by an insurgency launched in 2009 by Boko Haram, an Islamic extremist group. The violence, which has extended across borders surrounding Lake Chad, has claimed the lives of over 35,000 people, displaced over 2.6 million, and created a severe humanitarian crisis.
Boko Haram, with one branch aligned with the Islamic State group, aims to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria, a West African oil giant with a population of 170 million divided almost equally between a mainly Christian south and a predominantly Muslim north. The group has a history of using women and girls in suicide bombings, leading to suspicions that some of the many thousands they have kidnapped over the years may be involved.
The recent surge in suicide bombings in Borno raises significant concerns about the security situation in the region. Saidu described the injuries sustained by victims, ranging from abdominal ruptures to skull and limb fractures. He stated that he was coordinating for a helicopter to be dispatched that night and had mobilized emergency medical supplies to address a shortage of drugs in Gwoza.
Authorities have imposed a curfew in the city, and the community remains on high alert following reports of another suspected bomber in Pulka, a town about 2 kilometers (just over a mile) away from Gwoza.
Gwoza is located a few kilometers from Chibok, in southern Borno, where 276 schoolgirls were abducted in 2014. Nearly 100 of the girls remain in captivity. Since then, at least 1,500 students have been kidnapped across the country, as armed groups increasingly see the practice as a lucrative way to fund their criminal activities and exert control over villages.
