The Office of the United Nations Human Rights Office has called on authorities in Nigeria and Chad to launch independent and impartial investigations into recent airstrikes that reportedly caused heavy civilian casualties in conflict-affected regions.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged “rapid and thorough” probes to determine responsibility and ensure accountability under international law.
He expressed alarm over reports of a strike on a market in Zamfara State that allegedly killed around 100 civilians, as well as concerns over Chadian military operations targeting Boko Haram positions in the Lake Chad Basin, where civilian deaths were also reported.
Türk stressed that civilians must never be targeted and called on all parties involved in counter-insurgency operations in the Lake Chad region to strictly respect international humanitarian law.
The region, which includes parts of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon, has faced over a decade of insurgency involving groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP.
According to UNICEF, the conflict has created a severe humanitarian crisis, with millions displaced and in need of urgent assistance, including large numbers of children suffering from malnutrition and lack of basic services.
