Jihadist groups have carried out several attacks in north-eastern Nigeria in the run-up to Eid el-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan for Muslims, scheduled for this weekend, according to concordant sources. On Monday evening, ISIS fighters in West Africa (ISWAP) invaded the town of Dapchi, in the state of Yobe, provoking fighting with the army which left one dead and three wounded among the soldiers, and five dead among insurgents.
Read also: In the Sahel, Boko Haram sees the coronavirus as a boon
The jihadists looted shops and the house of a traditional chief before the intervention of soldiers and hunters who were members of vigilante groups, told AFP two military sources and residents. " They arrived around 5.30pm and raged for more than four hours before the soldiers came to fight them, " said Bashir Manzo, a resident of Dapchi. There were no civilian casualties, according to these different sources.
Read also: Nigeria: jihadist groups expand their influence
Dapchi was the scene of the kidnapping of more than 100 schoolgirls by ISWAP in February 2018. The hostages were then released following negotiations with the government, except for one Christian who is still detained for refusing to renounce her faith. Also on Monday, two female suicide bombers blew themselves up around 7:30 p.m. GMT in the town of Konduga, in neighboring Borno State, killing two people in the home of a militiaman engaged in the fight against jihadism.
Read also: Niger: more than 40,000 people flee violence in Nigeria
" Our colleague was targeted (...) the impact of the explosion destroyed part of a neighboring house, killing him with an old man, " Ali Hassan, head of the local militia, told AFP. This attack is characteristic of the Boko Haram group, with which ISWAP split in 2016, and which regularly uses suicide bombers to target civilians. Konduga is embroidered in the Sambisa forest, stronghold of Boko Haram from where suicide bombers have often launched their attacks in the past. ISWAP, on the other hand, is reputed to target mainly army positions. In March, his men killed more than 70 soldiers in an ambush in Gorgi, near Konduga.
Read also: Chad: 44 Boko Haram members found dead in prison
Earlier Monday, Boko Haram fighters also attacked the village of Kautikeri in southern Borno state, beheading a resident and abducting a herder with his 150 cattle, Ayuba Alamson, a chief of the media, told AFP. the community of Chibok. On Sunday, 20 civilians were killed by rocket fire attributed to Boko Haram during the attack on the village of Gajiganna, 50 km from the capital of Borno, Maiduguri. " It has become a model every year for insurgents to step up attacks near Eid to sabotage the celebrations, " said Borno anti-jihadist militia leader Babakura Kolo, saying this year " will be no different . "