13th – 19th June: On Thursday 16 June, Boko Haram fighters killed 18 women who were attending the funeral of a community leader in Kuda village in Adamawa State, Northeast Nigeria. Witnesses say that hundreds of attackers raided the village at night, opening fire indiscriminately. The official death-toll has yet to be confirmed by authorities, who reportedly sent hunters to assess the situation Kuda, after people fled during the attack. The village is on the fringes of Sambisa Forest, which Boko Haram members use as a hideout from the Nigerian military and a base from which to launch raids on villages.
The attack comes on the same week the military made several high profile Boko Haram arrests, and revealed that it had over 700 surrendered militants in its custody. Although the Boko Haram insurgency has been much weakened over the past year, leading the government to declare “technical victory”, assault-style attacks are still common. This attack on Kuda is the second since the start of the year. Resident Moses Kwagh, speaking to Reuters, said: “When we said that Boko Haram is still in this place, some people sit in Abuja and claim that there is no more Boko Haram – but see what has happened.”
