‘Scores’ of Nigerian fishermen die in ‘pummeling’ airstrikes by fighter jets belonging to Chad – locals say the men were innocent and might have been mistaken for being insurgents.

The Chad government has denied its military hit civilians in a massive counterinsurgency airstrike on the Nigerian side of Lake Chad on Wednesday, October 30, killing “scores” of innocent fishermen.

Locals said a fighter jet belonging to the Chad military circled Tilma – one of several islets where fighters from the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS), more commonly referred to as Boko Haram, and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), are known to hide out – before beginning to drop bombs.

They accused the Chad army of killing “scores” of innocent fishermen. They said a “large number” died and many were “severely wounded”. The exact death toll is not known because “bodies are still scattered across Tilma”.

Most of the fishermen were from the towns of Baga, Doron-Baga and Duguri on the shores of Lake Chad.

Locals told journalists that some of the dead bodies and the injured were taken to a military base in Mile 4, near Baga.

Tilma is one of many islets in the Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State in Nigeria’s northeast.

Abderaman Koulamallah, Chad’s Foreign Minister, said in a statement released on Friday, November 1, that it the military “firmly” rejected reports that it killed fishermen in neighbouring Nigeria.

“Chad firmly denies recent reports of attacks allegedly carried out by the Chadian army against civilians, in particular fishermen in the Lake Chad region.

“The operations carried out so far have targeted well-identified jihadist groups,” Koulamallah said, adding that Chad’s army operations were “organised and disciplined, and scrupulously careful never to target civilians”.

He said the accusations were “false”, designed to “sow confusion and destabilise public opinion”.

A Chad military officer, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “In a vast expanse of water and swamps, the Lake Chad region’s countless islets serve as hideouts for jihadist groups, such as Boko Haram and ISWAP, who carry out regular attacks on the country’s army and civilians.

“Boko Haram fighters often blend in with the fishermen and farmers whenever they commit their crimes. It is therefore difficult to distinguish between the population and the terrorists.”

The counterinsurgency operation was in response to a JAS attack on a Chadian military base near the Nigerian border on Sunday, October 27, that killed at least 40 soldiers and wounded many more.

Local sources said: “Boko Haram militants took control of the garrison, seized weapons and set fire to vehicles equipped with heavy arms before retreating.”

The presidency in Chad said in a statement that the attack struck near Ngouboua in the west of the country, “tragically leaving about 40 people dead”.

In retaliation, the Chadian army launched airstrikes on Wednesday, targeting Tilma islet on the Nigerian side of Lake Chad, where fishermen were working. Tilma is known to be a popular fishing spot.

Masa Ariramme (not his real name), a resident of Baga town, told RNI that locals believed the fishermen were mistaken for insurgents.

“Based on the information we received, the Chadian soldiers were conducting both air and ground operations on several islands on the shores of the Lake Chad around Baga town.

“But unfortunately, Chad’s military airstrike killed the fishermen, mistaking them for insurgents.

“We don’t know the exact number of people killed. So far, only seven dead bodies have been recovered from the island.

“The corpses were brought to Baga town by some residents and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force [CJTF] for a proper burial.

“Some of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition.”

Ariramme said locals had been informed that the counterinsurgency operations were headed by Chad’s President Mahamat Idriss Déby.”

A CJTF member in Baga town, who asked to remain anonymous, told RNI that the residents were “shocked and fearful”.

“All we know is that the fighter jet belonged to the Chad military. An unspecified number of fishermen were killed in airstrikes that ‘pummelled’ Tilma island.

“The pilot mistook the fishermen for Boko Haram insurgents who had attacked a military base inside Chad on Sunday which led to the killing of more than 40 soldiers and wounded several others.

“The insurgents look like ordinary fishermen and farmers – it is difficult to distinguish between civilians and the terrorists, particularly from the air.

“If the counterinsurgency operations were on the ground only, soldiers would have been able to differentiate between the innocent fishermen and the insurgents.

“Some of the dead bodies and the injured people were taken to a military base in Mile 4, near Baga town, and some of the fishermen fled from their communities and they are now in Monguno town, the headquarters of the Monguno Local Government Area. They are too scared to return.

“Most of the residents in Baga town are panicking. They are shocked. They never expected to be attacked by military jets. The only attacks they are afraid of are committed by insurgents. No one thought innocent fishermen would be killed in this manner.”

The Chad government has disclosed that President Déby is still camped on the shores of Lake Chad where he is personally leading Operation Haskanite. The aim is to hunt down and eliminate JAS and ISWAP insurgents in the Lake Chad area.

Déby has been holding meetings and ordering hits on insurgent hideouts. Ground and air forces are taking part in the operation.

Abderahim Bireme Hamid, the Prime Minister of Chad, told journalists that the counterinsurgency operation aimed to secure peace in the Lake Chad region and to “hunt down, root out and obliterate the nuisance capability of Boko Haram and its affiliates”.

The government of Chad has called on the international community to step up its support of “counterterrorism efforts” in the Lake Chad region.

The region, shared by Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad, is known to be an area where “Boko Haram” and its offshoot, ISWAP, have set up hideouts from which they conduct attacks on locals.

In March 2020, Chad’s armed forces suffered their biggest single-day loss, when more than 100 soldiers were killed in an attack by insurgents on their base at Bohomo on the shores of Lake Chad.

Mahamat Idriss Déby was proclaimed head of state by the army in April 2021 after his father Idriss Déby Itno, who was in power for 30 years, was killed by rebels. Idriss Déby Itno often commanded field operations and was killed in action.

SHETTIMA LAWAN MONGUNO