Boko Haram Attacks Nigerian Fishing Town

Boko Haram, a terrorist militant group based northeast Nigeria has claimed a deadly attack on the Nigerian town of Baga. The leader, Abubakar Shekau broadcasted this message on Tuesday, and went further to threaten Niger Chad and Cameroon in a video the group published online.

The attack in Baga, a fishing town on the shores of Lake Chad, has resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties. The terrorist group burnt parts of the town to the ground, completely demolishing 16 surrounding settlements; displacing tens of thousands of people, many of whom, have fled to neighboring Chad and Niger.

Representatives from Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon are meeting to seek a regional response to the threat of Boko Haram. Many African leaders, like Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama has also suggested a new type of force against the group that would seek support from the African Union. Boko Haram leaders, however, dismiss the Leaders’ discourse and, in the videos, proceeds to show off a huge arsenal of weapons and said that Boko Haram would take on all opponents.

Apart from the immeasurable ramifications of the Baga attack, Boko Haram’s terrorist acts are growing more and more deadly. In conjunction with the International community, African officials must take actions against the militant group before their acts spark an even bigger humanitarian crisis. Boko Haram’s acts are a ticking time bomb and if measures are not taking soon, the group may commit even more horrendous acts of terror that may worsen the economic, social and political instability in Nigeria and its neighbors.