Armed fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have killed 23 Christian farmers and fishermen in a brutal attack on May 15 in the village of Malam Karanti, near Baga in Nigeria’s Borno state. The victims, mostly bean farmers from Gwoza, were working on land under insurgent control when the attack occurred around 9 a.m. Eighteen other people were abducted during the attack, and their whereabouts remain unknown.
The attack has been condemned by Amnesty International, which described the killings as possible war crimes and crimes against humanity. The organization has called on the Nigerian government to intensify efforts to protect civilians in the Northeast and to investigate and prosecute those responsible. This incident highlights the ongoing violence and insecurity faced by rural farming and fishing communities in the region.
The Lake Chad region has been heavily affected by insurgency, with thousands of people driven from their homes and cut off from their livelihoods. The attack is part of a larger trend of jihadist groups targeting civilians in rural areas. A 2023 report estimated that over 52,250 Christians were killed in Nigeria from 2009 to 2023 by Islamist groups, including Boko Haram and ISWAP, making Nigeria the deadliest country in the world for Christians during that period.