A New Boko Haram Attack Displaces Thousands of Residents from Northeast Nigeria to Cameroon

More than five thousand people were forced to leave the border town of Kirawa in Borno State, northeast Nigeria, after militants from the Boko Haram group took control of the area in a violent attack that occurred on Thursday evening, resulting in the burning of the residence of the local chief, Abdurrahman Abubakar, as well as a military barracks and dozens of homes.

The recent attack is part of a series of escalations carried out by the group this year, targeting civilians and military sites, in an ongoing conflict that has lasted for 16 years, which also involves the ISIS-affiliated West Africa Province that split from Boko Haram.

Although the Nigerian army managed to repel some attacks after reinforcements arrived, the group continues to expand its influence, with its latest move on September 19 when it stormed the border town of Banki, seized a military barracks, and forced soldiers to flee.

The event has raised widespread concern in local and international circles, amid warnings of worsening humanitarian crisis in the border region and increasing numbers of displaced people heading towards neighboring Cameroon.