Baga, Borno Explained

Official Name:Baga
Pushpin Map:Nigeria
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Nigeria
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Borno
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population Blank1 Title:Ethnicities
Population Blank2 Title:Religions
Coordinates:13.1188°N 13.8566°W

Baga is a town in the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno, close to Lake Chad, and lying northeast of the town of Kukawa. It is located within the Kukawa Local Government Area.

The town is approximately 196 km from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.[1] The "Doron Baga" fish market, as of 2000, was located about six kilometres from the town.[1] Baga used to lie on the border of Lake Chad and was a fishing center itself in the 1960s and 1970s, but the diminishing size of the lake has caused fishermen to move, and others have turned to subsistence farming.[2] [3] [4]

The town and the nearby naval base have been under the control by the Islamic State's West Africa Province since December 2018.[5]

Baga massacres

2013 Baga massacre

In April 2013, over 185 people were killed and over 2000 homes in Baga were destroyed as a result of fighting between the Nigerian military and the Boko Haram militant group; it is debatable which group was actually responsible.[6]

2015 Baga massacre

In January 2015, Boko Haram attacked the town, seizing it and the military base used by a multinational force set up to fight them. The town was burned and the people massacred with some estimates claiming at least 2000 deaths[7] the largest such massacre in Boko Haram's history.[8] Some residents escaped to nearby Chad by swimming across Lake Chad,[9] though some died in the attempt.

According to the Nigerian Ministry of Defence, no more than 150 people in total had been killed, including militants.[10] [11] [12] [13] Several government officials denied that the fatalities were as extensive as reported, with some even claiming that the massacre had never taken place or that the Nigerian military had repelled the militants from the region, a claim that was refuted by local officials, survivors, and the international media.[14] [15] Satellite imagery taken on 2 and 7 January was released by Amnesty International showing that in Baga, which is "less than two square kilometres in size, approximately 620 structures were damaged or completely destroyed by fire." In Doron Baga (or Doro Gowon), located about 2.5 km away, fishing boats present on the 2nd were no longer visible, and "more than 3,100 structures were damaged or destroyed by fire affecting most of the 4 square kilometre town."[16]

2018

On 27 December, Boko Haram attacked a military base in the town of Baga, killing 10 people. Most reports agree that the town is now under the control of the terrorist organisation.[17] [18]

Notes and References

  1. Mukhtar, Yakubu and Waziri A. Gazali. The Dynamics of Fish Trade in North-East Nigeria: A Case Study of Doron Baga, Berichte des Sonderforschungsbereichs 268, Band 14, Frankfurt a.M. 2000: 83-91
  2. Idris, Hamza et al. (30 June 2012)Nigeria: Northern Communities Losing Territory to Desert, Daily Trust (AllAfrica.com)
  3. Bomford, Andrew (14 April 2006). Slow death of Africa's Lake Chad, BBC News ("Just 30 years ago, water covered the whole area. Baga was a waterfront town. Now it is stranded many miles from the lake as the land around it becomes desert.")
  4. Murray, Senan (15 January 2007). Lake Chad fisherman pack up their nets, BBC News
  5. Web site: Dozens killed in Nigeria fighting between army, jihadists: Sources.
  6. News: Nigeria fighting 'kills scores' in Baga . 22 April 2013 . BBC News . 2015-01-10.
  7. News: Boko Haram massacre thousands, says Amnesty International. Sydney Morning Herald. 10 January 2015. 11 January 2015.
  8. News: Nigeria: Massacre possibly deadliest in Boko Haram's history. 9 January 2015. 11 January 2015. Amnesty International.
  9. News: Boko Haram seizes army base in Nigeria town of Baga. BBC News. 4 January 2015.
  10. News: Boko Haram destroys at least 16 villages in NE Nigeria: officials. 8 January 2015. Business Insider. Agence France-Presse. 8 January 2015. 1 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180401115140/http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-boko-haram-destroys-at-least-16-villages-in-ne-nigeria-officials-2015-1. dead.
  11. News: Boko Haram crisis: Nigeria's Baga town hit by new assault. 8 January 2015. BBC World News. British Broadcasting Corporation. 8 January 2015.
  12. News: Smith. Alexander. Boko Haram Torches Nigerian Town of Baga; 2,000 Missing: Senator. 8 January 2015. NBC News. National Broadcasting Company. 8 January 2015.
  13. News: Boko Haram kills dozens in fresh raids in Nigerian town. 8 January 2015. Reuters. Thomson Reuters. 8 January 2015.
  14. News: Olanrewaju . Timothy . One week after Boko Haram attack, corpses litter Baga . 9 January 2015 . The Sun (Nigeria) . 9 January 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150110193703/http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=99371 . 10 January 2015 .
  15. News: Boko Haram suffers heavy defeat in surprise attack on military base. 9 January 2015. News Express. 5 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20170807072724/http://www.newsexpressngr.com/news/detail.php?news=8954&title=Boko-Haram-suffers-heavy-defeat-in-surprise-attack-on-military-base. 7 August 2017. dead.
  16. Amnesty International. Nigeria: Satellite Images Show Horrific Scale of Boko Haram Attack On Baga. allAfrica.com, January 15, 2015
  17. News: Islamists kill at least 10 in bid to capture northeast Nigerian lake town: residents. Reuters. 2018-12-28.
  18. News: Boko Haram Terrorists attack Nigerian Military base, seize weapons cache in Baga. www.thenigerianvoice.com. 2018-12-28.

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