2024 Gwoza bombings explained
On 29 June 2024, at least three bomb blasts targeted several areas in Gwoza, Borno State, in northeastern Nigeria, killing 32 people and injuring 48.[1] [2] The first blast struck a wedding ceremony at 3:00 p.m. local time, followed by another at General Hospital Gwoza before a third bombing struck a funeral.[3] State emergency management officials blamed suicide bombers.[4] The perpetrators are unknown as of July 13, 2024, but the BBC has noted that Islamic State – West Africa Province has claimed responsibility for other recent bombings in Borno.[5]
Background
In 2014, Boko Haram militants seized the city of Gwoza before it was taken back by Nigerian forces in 2015, with Boko Haram continuing to launch attacks and carry out kidnappings near the town.
Bombings
At around 3:40 p.m. GMT+1, a female detonated an improvised explosive device at a crowded motor park near a three-way intersection following a wedding ceremony in the town of Gwoza, resulting in six deaths and multiple injuries. A police spokesperson reported that the suicide bomber was carrying a baby, who was also killed in the blast.[6]
A second suicide bomber targeted General Hospital Gwoza, while a third bomber targeted a funeral of the first attack's victims while pretending to be a mourner, killing at least one person and injuring sixteen more.[7] The Nigerian military imposed a curfew following the attacks. Borno State Emergency Management Agency Director General Dr. Barkindo Muhammad Saidu visited the site of the blasts in Gwoza Town.[8] He said the dead include men, children and pregnant women, and 19 seriously injured victims were taken to Borno State capital, Maiduguri. Two of the injured died in hospital.[9]
A member of a militia assisting the Nigerian military in Gwoza claimed that a separate bombing at a security post killed two of his men and a Nigerian soldier.[10]
Notes and References
- News: Marama . Ndahi . 30 June 2024 . 30 feared dead, 100 injured in Borno as female suicide bombers hit wedding, funeral . 30 June 2024 . Vanguard News . 4 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240704071211/https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/06/30-feared-dead-100-injured-in-borno-as-female-suicide-bombers-hit-wedding-funeral/ . live .
- News: 1 July 2024 . Nigeria Weekend Suicide Bomb Attack Toll Climbs To 32 . 1 July 2024 . Barron's . 4 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240704071048/https://www.barrons.com/news/nigeria-weekend-suicide-bomb-attack-toll-rises-to-32-461eb808?refsec=topics_afp-news . live .
- Web site: Hauser . Jennifer . 29 June 2024 . Bomb blasts kill at least 18 in Nigeria . 30 June 2024 . CNN . en . 30 June 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240630015533/https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/29/africa/bomb-blasts-nigeria-intl-latam/index.html . live .
- Web site: 30 June 2024 . 18 Killed In Serial Suicide Bomb Blast In Northeast Nigeria . 30 June 2024 . news.abplive.com . en . 4 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240704071048/https://news.abplive.com/news/world/nigeria-bomb-blast-attack-18-killed-gowza-town-boko-haram-1699166 . live .
- Web site: Suspected female suicide bombers death toll rises to more than 30 in Nigeria . 2024-07-12 . www.bbc.com . en-GB.
- News: Benson . Nneoma . 29 June 2024 . Female Suicide Bomber Backing Baby, 'Mourner' Kill Six, Injure Over 15 In Borno Twin Attack — Police . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240629210830/https://thewhistler.ng/female-suicide-bomber-backing-baby-mourner-kill-six-injure-over-15-in-borno-twin-attack-police/ . 29 June 2024 . 29 June 2024 . The Whistler.
- Web site: 29 June 2024 . Scores killed as terrorist bombs wedding in Nigeria . 30 June 2024 . Mehr News Agency . en . 4 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240704071049/https://en.mehrnews.com/news/217050/Scores-killed-as-terrorist-bombs-wedding-in-Nigeria . live .
- Web site: 30 June 2024 . 18 Killed In Serial Suicide Bomb Blast In Northeast Nigeria . 30 June 2024 . news.abplive.com . en . 4 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240704071048/https://news.abplive.com/news/world/nigeria-bomb-blast-attack-18-killed-gowza-town-boko-haram-1699166 . live .
- Web site: Alhassan . Rayyan . 2024-07-03 . Borno: 15 victims of Gwoza suicide bombings treated, discharged . 2024-07-04 . Daily Nigerian . en-GB . 4 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240704071049/https://dailynigerian.com/borno-victims-gwoza-suicide/ . live .
- Web site: 30 June 2024 . 18 Killed, 42 Injured In Series Of Suicide Attacks In Nigeria . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240630020713/https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/18-killed-42-injured-in-series-of-suicide-attacks-in-nigeria-6000356 . 30 June 2024 . 30 June 2024 . NDTV.
