one year of Boko Haram massacre

Nigeria�s Baga now ghost town

AFP, KANO: One year after a massive attack ranked among the worst in Boko Haram's six-year insurgency, the residents of Baga in northeast Nigeria say their home is a ghost town. The jihadists razed the fishing hub on the shores of Lake Chad in a four-day assault beginning January 3 last year, forcing thousands from their homes and killing hundreds of others. Unlike other Boko Haram attacks, which often go virtually unnoticed outside Nigeria, the Baga massacre made headlines around the world after it was reported 2,000 people lost their lives in the raid and Amnesty International released satellite images showing the ravaged town. With its charred houses and shuttered businesses, it is hard to believe Baga used to be a lively trading centre of 200,000 people, where merchants would travel to sell cattle, leather goods and trade fresh produce.
"Baga is still deserted, we are all living in camps and homes of friends and relatives in Maiduguri because we are scared of returning home," Muhammad Alhaji Bukar, a displaced Baga resident, told AFP.
The Nigerian military reclaimed Baga in March and troops patrol its dusty streets today.
But the town's enduring emptiness -- under 1,000 people are living there now -- highlights how difficult it is to get people back home and restore peace to the battered northeast region.
In June, destitute residents of Baga and surrounding villages started trickling back to fish, encouraged by military victories winning territory back from the jihadists.
The fisherman would sell their catch of catfish and African bonytongue in the key northeast city of Maiduguri, the spiritual home of the insurgency and the restive capital of Borno state.

one year of Boko Haram massacre

Nigeria�s Baga now ghost town

AFP, KANO: One year after a massive attack ranked among the worst in Boko Harams six-year insurgency, the residents of Baga in northeast Nigeria say their home is a ghost town. The jihadists razed the fishing hub on the shores of Lake Chad in a four-day assault beginning January 3 last year, forcing thousands from their homes and killing hundreds of others. Unlike other Boko Haram attacks, which often go virtually unnoticed outside Nigeria, the Baga massacre made headlines around the world after it was reported 2,000 people lost their lives in the raid and Amnesty International released satellite images showing the ravaged town. With its charred houses and shuttered businesses, it is hard to believe Baga used to be a lively trading centre of 200,000 people, where merchants would travel to sell cattle, leather goods and trade fresh produce. Baga is still deserted, we are all living in camps and homes of friends and relatives in Maiduguri because we are scared of returning home, Muhammad Alhaji Bukar, a displaced Baga resident, told AFP. The Nigerian military reclaimed Baga in March and troops patrol its dusty streets today. But the towns enduring emptiness -- under 1,000 people are living there now -- highlights how difficult it is to get people back home and restore peace to the battered northeast region. In June, destitute residents of Baga and surrounding villages started trickling back to fish, encouraged by military victories winning territory back from the jihadists. The fisherman would sell their catch of catfish and African bonytongue in the key northeast city of Maiduguri, the spiritual home of the insurgency and the restive capital of Borno state.