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The Chadian army has come under scrutiny following allegations of killing numerous fishermen in Nigeria during an operation aimed at jihadist militants.
Naija News gathered that this incident occurred just days after Boko Haram launched an attack on a Chadian military base that resulted in 40 casualties.
According to fishermen and anti-jihadist militia, the Chadian military conducted an airstrike on Wednesday, targeting Tilma Island in Nigeria’s Lake Chad region. Fishermen who were at work on the island were caught in the attack.
Two anti-jihadist militia assisting Nigerian soldiers in fighting the militant groups in the region told AFP that several fishermen were killed in the bombardment.
Babakura Kolo, a leader in the anti-jihadist militia, reported that the Chadian fighter jet mistakenly targeted the fishermen, who were presumed to be Boko Haram militants.
“There was an attack on fishermen by a (fighter) jet belonging to the Chadian military in Tilma island which killed scores of fishermen.
“The jet mistook the fishermen for Boko Haram terrorists who attacked a military base inside Chad on Sunday,” Kolo said.
A Chadian military official, speaking anonymously, confirmed airstrikes in areas bordering Nigeria and Niger, noting that militants frequently blend in with civilians, making it challenging to distinguish between the two.
“Boko Haram fighters often blend in with the fishermen and farmers whenever they commit their crimes. It is therefore difficult to distinguish between the population and the terrorists,” he said.
Following a deadly raid by Boko Haram on a Chadian base, which also injured dozens, Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby pledged to pursue the attackers.
The Chadian government has since launched “Operation Haskanite,” aimed at eliminating Boko Haram forces, according to interim Prime Minister Abderahim Bireme Hamid.
Eyewitnesses report that many fishermen from Baga, Doron-Baga, and Duguri were killed in the airstrike, with some bodies and injured individuals being transported to a nearby military base.
Survivors described the airstrike as sudden and devastating, with one fisherman, Sallau Arzika, recounting the panic as people scattered for safety.
“The fighter jet encircled Tilma before beginning to drop bombs while people run in all directions for cover,” Arzika noted.
Another fisherman Labo Sani from Doron-Baga told AFP that two of his friends were killed in the airstrike while a third was critically injured.
“We were carrying out our fishing and it never crossed our mind that we would be attacked and killed by a fighter jet,” Sani said.
Naija News reports that Chad has sought increased support from the international community to combat jihadist violence in the Lake Chad area, where Boko Haram and other militant groups operate from isolated islets.
Boko Haram’s insurgency, which began in 2009 in Nigeria, has since spread across the region, claiming tens of thousands of lives and displacing millions.
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