Nigeria Airstrike Kills Over 100 At Market, Amnesty Calls For Probe

<p><em>Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez</em></p> <p>According to Amnesty International, at least 100 civilians have been killed in a Nigerian military airstrike on a crowded market in the country's northwest.</p> <p>The rights group's Nigerian office said the attack hit Tumfa market in Zamfara State on Sunday and is calling for an immediate investigation.</p> <p>"The authorities must investigate these deadly strikes, and put an end to reckless attacks on civilians," Amnesty said on social media.</p> <p>The Red Cross also confirmed the strike.</p> <p>A spokesman for Nigeria's military, Major General Michael Onoja, told the AFP news agency reports of civilian deaths in Zamfara were "not true."</p> <p>In a separate statement to the Associated Press, the military said, there was "no verifiable evidence of civilian casualties as being suggested in the media has been established."</p> <h2>Rights Group Cites Repeated Civilian Deaths&nbsp;</h2> <p>Dozens of injured people are being treated in nearby hospitals, and many of the dead are reported to be women and girls, according to community leaders in the area.</p> <p>"Everybody, residents and bandits, goes to the market,"Garba Ibrahim Mashema said. "People are at the mercy of the bandits. There is nothing they can do."</p> <p>A Red Cross official in the state, Ibrahim Bello Garba, told the Associated Press "multiple civilians" were killed.</p> <p>Sunday's strike follows another deadly market airstrike last month in Jilli, in northeastern Nigeria, in which around 200 civilians were killed.</p> <p>"In parts of the north facing conflicts, civilians have borne the brunt of suffering far too often," Amnesty said. "These horrific deaths must not be overlooked."</p> <p>The strike comes as Nigeria is dealing with banditry and a jihadist insurgency in parts of the country, where profit-driven gangs raid villages, kidnap people and extort money in rural areas.</p> <p>The groups are loosely organized and have both fought and cooperated with jihadist factions.</p> <p><em>Disclaimer: This report first appeared on <strong>Deutsche Welle,</strong> and has been republished on <strong>ABP Live</strong> as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by <strong>ABP Live.</strong></em></p>

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