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Scores killed, 120 wounded after jet mistakenly bombs Nigerian refugee camp

There has been condemnation of an accidental aerial bombing of a refugee camp in Nigeria. At leas...
Newstalk
Newstalk

17.02 17 Jan 2017


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Scores killed, 120 wounded aft...

Scores killed, 120 wounded after jet mistakenly bombs Nigerian refugee camp

Newstalk
Newstalk

17.02 17 Jan 2017


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There has been condemnation of an accidental aerial bombing of a refugee camp in Nigeria.

At least 52 people were killed and at least 120 wounded after a military jet mistakenly bombed the camp.

It happened in northeast Rann, near the border with Cameroon.

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Among the wounded were two soldiers and Nigerians working for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The ICRC says six of its workers were killed and 13 wounded in the attack.

It says they were part of a team "bringing desperately needed food" for more than 25,000 displaced people in Rann.

Image: Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) 

"We are coordinating medical emergency efforts with relevant authorities and other aid actors", it adds.

While the director of operations with MSF, Dr Jean-Clément Cabrol, strongly condemned the incident.

He said: "This large-scale attack on vulnerable people who have already fled from extreme violence is shocking and unacceptable.

"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."

Image: Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) 

A spokesman for the medical charity described conditions following the bombing.

MSF medical teams are currently providing first aid to 120 wounded patients in its facility in Rann.

The organisation's medical and surgical teams in the region are preparing to treat evacuated patients.

Over two million Nigerians have been displaced across the northeast of the country, largely as a result of violence linked to Boko Haram.

The population of Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, has more than doubled with the influx of internally displaced people, which has overwhelmed basic services in the city.

Insecurity remains high, with Maiduguri targeted in repeated suicide bomb attacks.


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