Boko Haram jihadists kill 14 in western Chad

Fourteen people were killed and 13 were missing after Boko Haram jihadists attacked a fishing village in western Chad on Tuesday, government officials said.

“There were 14 dead, five wounded and 13 missing in the attack” near the village of Kaiga on the shores of Lake Chad, Imouya Souabebe, the prefect of the region, told AFP on Wednesday.

Kaiga lies in marshland in a remote, sprawling region where the borders of four countries — Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria and Nigeria — meet.

The village is about 60 kilometres (35 miles) from the border with northeast Nigeria, the springboard for Boko Haram raids and kidnappings in neighbouring countries.

“We know that there are always Boko Haram elements moving around the (border) area, so they are behind this attack,” Souabebe said.

“The attackers first came in a small group and then brought in reinforcements to attack the fishermen.”

The region’s governor, Noki Charfadine, gave a toll of at least nine dead.

He said the attack had taken place in a “red zone, where fishing is forbidden.”

Boko Haram launched its armed insurgency in northeastern Nigeria — a campaign that has killed 35,000 people and caused around two million to flee their homes.

The spread of violence to Chad, Cameroon and Niger has prompted the formation of a regional military coalition to fight the jihadists.