The execution-style killings of two Muslim midwives in north-eastern Nigeria have raised fears that the Islamist insurgency is far from over. The Islamic State (IS) group and the political tensions ahead of elections in Africa’s most-populous nation are being blamed for the upsurge in violence this year.
Hauwa Liman and Saifura Ahmed Khorsa both worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) when they were kidnapped along with another female aid worker from the town of Rann in March.
Fighters from a Boko Haram faction loyal to IS – known as the Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) – were behind their abduction. Ms Khorsa, 25, was shot dead in September and a month later Ms Liman, her 24-year-old colleague, was also murdered. Local journalists who have seen the two videos released by the jihadists after the killings say the women, wearing white hijabs, were forced to kneel down with their hands tied. They were then shot from behind at close range.
Schoolgirl in captivity
It is not clear what demands the militants were making – but whatever they were the group says the government ignored them. Iswap, which is believed to receive instructions from IS leadership, has raised its profile this year and was behind the kidnapping of 110 schoolgirls from the town of Dapchi in February.
Most of the girls were released after a month, except for a 15-year-old who has reportedly refused to convert to Islam and remains in captivity. Iswap appears to be the dominant Boko Haram faction since a split in the leadership of the group emerged in August 2016. BBC
Pix: Hauwa Liman: Her colleagues say she was “truly dedicated to her work helping vulnerable women”
