Nigeria: 35 killed in clashes between nigerian army and Boko Haram
At least 35 people have been killed in two separate gun battles between Nigerian security forces and Islamist sect Boko Haram in northeast Borno state, the army said on Monday.
Boko Haram, which wants to impose sharia law in Nigeria’s north, and other spin-off Islamist groups have become the biggest threat to stability in Africa’s top oil exporter.
In mid-May, President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency and launched an offensive against the group in its stronghold in the northeast. The insurgency was initially weakened but remains active and is stretching the army.
Boko Haram gunmen on Sunday attacked a police base in Bama, a town close to the Cameroon border that has been frequently hit by violence in recent months.