On Wednesday evening, November 15th 2017, four suicide bombers targeted the Muna Gari suburb of Maiduguri, Nigeria, killing 18 and injuring 29, including the four bombers.
The first bomb was detonated at a prayer ground, whilst the others entered the community at different locations.
The suicide bombers included two females and two males.
The injured were taken to the University of Maiduguri teaching hospital and the State Specialist Hospital. Whilst funeral services in Maiduguri will be held for those killed in the attack.
Whilst the amount of IED attacks perpetrated in Nigeria significantly reduced in 2016, alongside national efforts to destroy Boko Haram, the group still maintains a presence and the ability to carry out such attacks.
Last year, Nigeria saw 461 civilian deaths and injuries from IED attacks; an 82% decrease from the previous year. 93% of civilian casualties were caused by suicide attacks. When IEDs were used in populated areas, 94% of those dead and injured were civilians.
Between January and October 2017, Nigeria has seen 418 civilian casualties from IEDs. All were caused by 30 suicide attacks.
The 30 suicide attacks used 53 bombers, of which at least 31 were females, and a further 3 were children.
AOAV calls on all states to urgently address the threat of IED attacks. There is an urgent need for preventative measures to be implemented by States and the international community.
For more on counter-IED initiatives, please see here.
To read AOAV’s latest report, Understanding the regional and transnational networks that facilitate IED use, please read here.
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