Suspected Boko Haram militants attacked two villages in northeast Nigeria, killing at least 57 people and leaving over 70 missing, witnesses reported Sunday.
Survivors from Mallam Karamti and Kwatandashi said JAS faction militants gathered over 100 residents and marched them into the bush.
Fifty-seven bodies were discovered on Saturday, though the Borno government could not confirm the casualty count.
Witnesses claimed the villagers were accused of being informants for the rival ISWAP faction.
Experts note JAS increasingly targets civilians due to their limited capacity to attack the military like ISWAP.
Burial was delayed due to the military’s unavailability for search support. Most victims had slit throats or gunshot wounds, with fears of more undiscovered bodies.
This mass killing occurred during a week of escalating violence in Borno.
ISWAP also attacked a military battalion in Marte on Monday, seizing weapons.
A roadside bomb on the Maiduguri-Damboa road on Saturday killed four more people.
The Boko Haram insurgency, ongoing since 2009, has caused a major humanitarian crisis, killing over 35,000 and displacing 2.6 million.
