Satellite image of the village of Doro Baga in NE Nigeria. Jan. 2, 2015, shows densely packed structures and tree cover in Doro Baga before the village was attacked by Boko Haram militants. Micah Farfour/DigitalGlobe
Amnesty International has released satellite images that clearly show the scale of last week’s Boko Haram massacre in the villages of Baga and Doron Baga, in northeast Nigeria. The images show approximately 3,700 structures damaged or destroyed according to the human rights group. The Nigerian government disputes reports that some 2,000 were killed, and says “only 150” died.
Satellite image of dense housing in Doro Baga taken on Jan. 7, following Boko Haram massacre. This image shows nearly all structures destroyed. The inset highlights the level of destruction. Red areas indicate remaining vegetation. Micah Farfour/DigitalGlobe.
From the Amnesty announcement:
Before and after images of two neighbouring towns, Baga (160 kilometres from Maiduguri) and Doron Baga (also known as Doro Gowon, 2.5 km from Baga), taken on 2 and 7 January show the devastating effect of the attacks which left over 3,700 structures damaged or completely destroyed. Other nearby towns and villages were also attacked over this period.
“These detailed images show devastation of catastrophic proportions in two towns, one of which was almost wiped off the map in the space of four days,” said Daniel Eyre, Nigeria researcher for Amnesty International.
“Of all Boko Haram assaults analysed by Amnesty International, this is the largest and most destructive yet. It represents a deliberate attack on civilians whose homes, clinics and schools are now burnt out ruins.”
The analysis shows just two of the many towns and villages that fell victim to a series of Boko Haram attacks which began on 3 January 2015.
View the satellite images in high-resolution here.
A new eyewitness report from that massacre describes the killing of one villager who was a pregnant mother, in labor, giving birth. “Half of the baby boy (was) out and she died like this,” the unnamed witness was quoted as saying.