More than 52 people are dead and another 120 reportedly injured after a Nigerian military jet mistakenly bombed a refugee camp in the northeastern part of the country.
The tragic accident occurred in the town of Rann, near the border with Cameroon, hitting a camp for displaced people fleeing the ongoing conflict in Nigeria’s north east.
Regional military commander Major General Lucky Irabor said he had ordered the mistaken attack based on intelligence that Boko Haram fighters were in the region. It’s believed to be the first time the Nigerian military has admitted an error.
“We are profoundly saddened with the news of casualties among the Red Cross staff and volunteers in Rann. Our thoughts are with the families of the dead and wounded Red Cross colleagues,” the Nigerian Red Cross Society said in a Facebook post.
Médecins Sans Frontières Director of Operations Dr Jean-Clément Cabrol condemned the attacks.
“This large-scale attack on vulnerable people who have already fled extreme violence is shocking and unacceptable,” he said in a statement. “The safety of civilians must be respected. We are urgently calling on all parties to ensure the facilitation of medical evacuations by air or road for survivors who are in need of emergency care.”
A spokesperson for Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari said the administration expressed deep sadness at “this regrettable operational mistake.”
I received with regret news that the Air Force,working to mop up BH insurgents, accidentally bombed a civilian community in Rann,Borno State
— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) January 17, 2017
I sympathize with the families of the dead, and with the injured, and the Government and people of Borno State.
— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) January 17, 2017
The Federal Government will fully support the Borno State Government in dealing with the situation and attending to the victims.
— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) January 17, 2017
General Irabor said there would be an investigation into the incident.
