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CatastropheNigeria

Nigeria launches probe after army drone kills 85 civilians

December 5, 2023

Dozens of civilians were accidentally killed in a drone strike by Nigeria's army in the country's north. President Bola Tinubu described the incident as "disturbing and painful."

https://p.dw.com/p/4ZmkR
Nigerian soldiers in Anambra, Nigeria
Nigeria's military has been fighting Islamist insurgents for yearsImage: Mosa'ab Elshamy/AP Photo/picture alliance

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday called for a thorough investigation into a military drone attack that killed at least 85 civilians in northern Kaduna state over the weekend.

The strike, which was intended to hit insurgents, is one of Nigeria's deadliest military accidents.

Tinubu said "the bombing mishap" in Tundun Biri village was "very unfortunate, disturbing and painful," his spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale said in a statement.

"The president directs a thorough and full-fledged investigation into the incident and calls for calm while the authorities look diligently into the mishap," said Ngelale.

What do we know about the strike?

The Nigerian army said its drone was on a routine mission that "inadvertently affected members of the community." Many of the victims were women, children and the elderly who were celebrating the Muslim festival of Maulud.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said at least 85 people were killed in the attack on Sunday and that the search for survivors was still ongoing. It added that another 66 people were being treated in hospital.

Nigeria's military, backed by the United States and Britain, as well as non-Western allies, has long been fighting Islamist militants in the country's northeast and northwest. It routinely uses airstrikes to target insurgent groups.

dh/nm (AFP, Reuters)