Dozens of people were killed Saturday in the village of Jilli, in northeastern Nigeria, following an airstrike described as "accidental" by military authorities. The operation targeted jihadist armed groups active in this border area, a frequent scene of clashes between the army and Boko Haram, as well as the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The exact death toll remains contradictory at this stage. A security report prepared for the UN and seen by AFP indicates at least 56 dead and 14 wounded. Amnesty International, for its part, cites more than 100 dead and 35 seriously wounded, while local officials suggest estimates as high as 200 dead. Nigerian authorities have not released a precise toll, limiting themselves to confirming an airstrike and the opening of an investigation.
In a statement released Sunday, the Nigerian army said it had conducted an operation in an area considered a corridor for armed groups and a convergence point for ISWAP fighters and their allies. Faced with accusations of civilian casualties, the Air Force Chief of Staff ordered the immediate activation of an investigation team to assess the damage inflicted on the population.
On the ground, the health facilities were quickly overwhelmed. "Today, we received more than twenty patients; some needed immediate assistance, others were transferred to the Maiduguri University Hospital. The less serious cases are being treated here and the situation has become stable again," testifies Ishaku Bulus, a health professional.
Survivors' accounts describe a scene of chaos. "I was bringing my horse and the rest of my goats home when a plane bombed us. There were about thirty injured," says Abubakar Goni, a resident of the area.
According to several security sources, the Jilli market, located in the affected area, is a strategic location frequented by traders from several northern states, but also under the influence of armed groups who collect taxes and impose their control there.
Victims were evacuated to hospitals in Geidam and Maiduguri, sometimes dozens of kilometers away, due to the saturation of local facilities. At the Maiduguri hospital, several wounded reported losing loved ones in the attack, some describing entire families.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, has been facing a deadly jihadist insurgency in the northeast since 2009, which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions. In this context, military operations, often conducted in densely populated or hard-to-reach areas, regularly result in accusations of civilian casualties.
The authorities are now promising to investigate the exact circumstances of this strike, the final toll of which remains unknown several days after the events.
