Suspected Boko Haram militants attacked a market in northeastern Nigeria, killing 29 people, as African nations and France agreed on a joint plan to fight the Islamist group.
The attack occurred in northeast Ngurosoye village in Nigeria’s Bama region this morning, said Senator Ahmed Zanna, who represents the area. “I was told that 29 persons were killed by suspected Boko Haram terrorists,” Zanna said.
Boko Haram, which means, “western education is a sin” in the Hausa language, has conducted a violent campaign since 2009 to impose Islamic law in Africa’s top oil producer.
Nigeria’s neighbours Benin, Niger, Chad, Cameroon as well as France agreed to coordinate intelligence and border surveillance to fight the terrorist group, French President Francois Hollande told a televised press conference in Paris after meeting the countries’ leaders there.
Today’s agreement will not require France to deploy more military means, Hollande said. The country has military personnel, drones and Rafale fighter jets stationed in Niger, and troops in Mali and the Central African Republic.
The US and UK have sent teams to Nigeria to help the government find more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the militants, more than a month ago from the north eastern town of Chibok.
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