By Ashley Repp
News Desk Reporter- Africa
Damaturu, Nigeria-
This past Sunday afternoon, a female bomber, who witnesses assert looked about sixteen years of age, arrived at the city’s crowded market area in a car, and made her way into the crowds. Local time was about 1 P.M., a busy shopping time on Sundays. The unidentified female went to a crowded area, positioned herself, and then detonated the bomb that she was wearing underneath her clothes. With this detonation, the bomber killed at least ten people, and wounded over thirty others in the surrounding area.
Witnesses say that after the bomb was detonated, the crowd at the market descended into panic. Authorities were unable to collect and remove the remains of the female bomber, as a crowd had begun to collect her body parts and light them on fire.
Though no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, Sunday’s bombing bears what some say are the “hallmarks” of a Boko Haram attack. In the past year, Boko Haram, the Islamic militant group that wishes to install an Islamic state in Nigeria, has increasingly used female bombers to carry out planned attacks. This attack shares many of the similarities of the previous attacks carried out this year, leading authorities to suspect Boko Haram’s involvement.
Boko Haram has played a key role in destabilizing northern Nigeria with the intent of establishing an Islamic state. The group has launched previous attacks on Damaturu. Currently, the violence has begun to spill over into neighboring countries, including Chad, Cameroon, and Niger. These states, along with Nigeria, have agreed to establish a regional military apparatus that will serve to combat and subdue Boko Haram.
The violence and instability have also pushed officials in Nigeria to postpone the presidential election until March 28th, 2015. Many Nigerians, investors, as well as states in the international community question President Goodluck’s ability to adequately address and combat Boko Haram, and fear that further instability is likely to arise. Goodluck’s rival in the presidential election is Muhammadu Buhari. Many believe that he will take a harder line on security issues, and is better equipped to address the threat of Boko Haram due to his successful quelling of an Islamic uprising in the 1980’s.
For more information, please visit:
BBC News- Suicide bomber kills seven in Nigerian city of Damaturu– 15 Feb., 2015
Al Jazeera- Female suicide bomber kills ten in Nigeria’s Damaturu-15 Feb., 2015
The New York Times- Female suicide bomber kills ten in a Nigerian region racked by Islamist violence– 15 Feb., 2015
Reuters- Female suicide bomber kills ten in Nigerian bus station– 15 Feb., 2015
