A deadly military air attack in the Lake Chad area may have killed dozens of Nigerian fishermen, according to local fishing leaders. Chad’s military conducted the strikes in response to recent attacks by Boko Haram fighters on Chadian army bases near the lake. Abubakar Gamandi Usman, who leads a fishermen’s association in the region, said more than 40 fishermen are believed to have died.
Many others are still missing. He explained that no bodies have been found yet because the search is difficult in the deep waters of Lake Chad. Usman said the air strikes happened after Boko Haram fighters escaped to islands inside the lake area. Local fishermen, who rely on fishing for their survival, also utilize these islands. Fear quickly spread among both the militants and the civilians when military aircraft appeared over the area on Friday. People reportedly rushed to flee from the islands.
The bombing may have directly impacted some fishermen. Others are believed to have drowned while trying to escape in crowded boats. Neither the Nigerian nor the Chadian government has officially confirmed civilian deaths. However, Chad’s presidency announced on Sunday that its air force had launched heavy attacks against Boko Haram camps. The government said the action was a response to recent militant attacks that killed several Chadian soldiers and two senior officers.
Lake Chad lies between Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon. The region is filled with waterways and swampy land. Boko Haram and another armed group linked to the Islamic State have used it as a hiding place for many years. According to Usman, Boko Haram controls many fishing areas around the lake. Fishermen are often forced to pay taxes to the militants.
The group also controls transportation between fishing sites and local fish markets. Searching for the missing people has been slow because local communities have very few boats and canoes available. Usman said many of the boats in the area are under Boko Haram’s control. Violence in the Lake Chad region has increased recently. Armed groups have carried out attacks on villages, kidnapped civilians, and targeted security forces.
This is not the first time military operations in the area have reportedly harmed civilians. Last year, Chadian air strikes aimed at Boko Haram fighters were also accused of killing Nigerian fishermen on an island in Lake Chad. Nigeria’s military has faced similar accusations in the past. Authorities usually describe civilian deaths during such operations as accidental. Recently, Nigeria’s armed forces denied reports claiming civilians died during air raids in Niger State. Military officials said those strikes were based on reliable intelligence.
