Armed Attack NNG0424

While Nigerian troops were attempting to evacuate civilians from the hills around Gwoza to safeguard them from a planned military operation, Boko Haram militants attacked one group of civilians and slit their throats. Soldiers had successfully moved one wave of people from the hills, but before they could return for the second group, the attackers struck . A witness, Jonas Musa, reported that both of his parents were among the victims

15 Apr 2015 · Gwoza Hills, Gwoza, Borno

Deaths

Kidnapped

Total casualties

Perpetrators

Boko Haram

Response

A military source confirmed the attack to Reuters and other media, stating: "Just as troops were trying to evacuate some civilians from the hills so as to safeguard them from a planned air strike ... some Boko Haram attacked them and slit the throats of 12 people"

Displacement

Socioeconomic drivers

Insurgency, exploitation of military withdrawal, targeting civilians to assert dominance and instill fear.

Trajectory

This attack occurred during the final phase of the military‘s campaign to recapture Gwoza, which had been the symbolic capital of Boko Haram’s self-declared caliphate. Troops had retaken the town on 27 March 2015, but insurgents remained hidden in the surrounding hills. The military‘s plan to flush them out with air strikes required the evacuation of civilians, a process the insurgents exploited to inflict one last massacre. The attack demonstrated that even as Boko Haram lost territorial control, it retained the capacity to terrorise civilians.

Cycle notes

Mirrored earlier execution-style killings of civilians during insurgent raids carried out by Boko Haram, particularly the 1 December 2012 Chibok village killings, where attackers also slit the throats of victims during a night raid, and the 2 October 2012 Mubi student massacre, where victims were executed at close range after being identified. The attack also reflected a recurring insurgent tactic of striking communities during moments of security withdrawal or reduced military presence, similar to the 31 August 2013 Monguno forest ambush, where civilians and vigilantes were attacked while operating without adequate military protection. Together, these incidents illustrate a pattern of opportunistic assaults on vulnerable communities combined with brutal execution methods intended to terrorize populations and discourage resistance.

Pattern

Throat-Slitting

Sources

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