This archive report was first published on 29 July 2019.
Published on July 29, 2019, a Boko Haram attack on a funeral in northeast Nigeria has left a devastating trail of death and destruction.
According to local officials, the attack on Saturday resulted in the deaths of 65 people, with 10 more injured. The attack occurred in a village near the regional capital of Maiduguri.
"It is 65 people dead and 10 injured," local government chairman Muhammed Bulama said in a statement.
The attack began with an initial assault on a funeral gathering, resulting in the deaths of over 20 people. However, as the villagers attempted to chase after the Boko Haram fighters, dozens more were killed.
Confirming the death toll, the leader of a local anti-Boko Haram militia, Bunu Bukar Mustapha, stated that 23 people were killed as they returned from the funeral, while the remaining 42 were killed when they pursued the terrorists.
AFP journalists at the scene witnessed the aftermath of the attack, with houses burnt and relatives collecting the bodies of those slain for burial.
The attack is believed to be in retaliation for the killing of 11 Boko Haram fighters two weeks ago by local residents, who also captured 10 automatic rifles.
Boko Haram has repeatedly attacked the surrounding Nganzai district, with the group killing eight people and stealing livestock in two villages in September last year.
The group's decade-long campaign of violence in northeast Nigeria has resulted in the deaths of around 27,000 people and displaced more than two million.
