Suicide Bombing in Nigeria Leaves 27 Dead

Two local officials in Nigeria have reported that a female suicide bomber killed 27 people on Tuesday by detonating herself in a local market in the northeast of the country. According to Reuters, hospital officials also stated that two other women detonated themselves at the entrance of a refugee camp, injuring dozens. The report indicates that at least 83 people were injured in these three suicide bombings. These explosions occurred near the city of Maiduguri, which is the center of conflict between government forces and Islamist militants affiliated with Boko Haram. Nigerian government forces managed to reclaim many areas from the control of these Islamist militants last year. However, the group's forces have recently been able to organize new attacks. It is reported that forces from a faction of Boko Haram led by Abubakar Shekau, based in the Sambisa forest, are using women and children for suicide attacks. Reuters states that the Islamist group Boko Haram has been waging its war to establish an Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria for the past eight years. In April 2014, the group kidnapped over 200 schoolgirls from the Chibok area, many of whom were forced into marriage with their fighters. According to the report, since the beginning of Boko Haram's attacks, at least 20,000 people have been killed, and 2.7 million have been displaced from their homes.