100 killed as Nigerian jet ‘mistakenly’ bombed refugee camp

TIL Desk/World/Maiduguru(Nigeria)-More than 100 people have been killed after a Nigerian military jet mistakenly bombed a refugee camp in Borno state in northeastern Nigeria. The Independent quoted aid organisations and the local military as saying that a camp for internally displaced people in Rann, part of the Kala-Balge local government area on the Cameroon border was hit by the strike on Tuesday.

Regional military commander Major General Lucky Irabor said the strike was mistakenly ordered by him based on intelligence that Boko Haram fighters were in the region. He said an investigation was underway to find out the cause of the error, adding that that the military would not deliberately target civilians.

A spokeswoman for Medicins Sans Frontieres said the organisation was indeed active in the Kala Balge area, but was unable to verify whether its employees were among the victims. She said that teams are trying to provide emergency first aid in its facility and are stabilising patients to evacuate wounded. The military has been waging a military campaign against the Boko Haram militant group in the region where the incident occurred.