Boko Haram waging ‘scorched-earth’ marketing campaign in Niger

And Chad has been repeatedly targeted by Boko Haram militants, as it is a major force in helping Nigeria fight the group. The suicide bomber exploded as truckers were tucking into dinner at the bustling marketplace where vendors urged them to buy sugar cane.

Some 80 people were wounded in the attack, the official said, adding that the dead included the suicide bombers.

At least 17,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since 2009 when the group launched its violent uprising to try to impose extremist Islamist rule in northern Nigeria, according to Amnesty International.

The region is an area most exposed to attacks from Boko Haram, which is active also in Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon.

‘Evacuations will have to be done by the army with the assistance of non-governmental organisations and the United Nations to local healthcare centres like Bol, ‘ said Florent Mehaule, head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Chad.

Chad’s director general of the gendarmerie, Gen. Banyaman Cossingar, said Boko Haram was suspected in Saturday’s attacks. Then, in November, two female suicide bombers killed three in Ngouboua, according to the CBC. Five coordinated suicide bombings in October killed at least 36 people and wounded 50 others in the western village of Baga Sola near Lake Chad that is home to thousands of Nigerians who have fled the extremists’ violence. Boko Haram is thought to have killed 6,644 previous year, while Daesh is estimated to have been responsible for the deaths of 6,073.

A police boat sails on Lake Chad which borders Chad, Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon.

The embassy states that no further information about potential threats is available, but that travelers in Nigeria should remain vigilant and expect a heightened military and police presence, with roadblocks, checkpoints, and other security measures to be in place.

Despite a regional military offensive against Boko Haram this year, its fighters have continued to stage guerrilla-style attacks in Nigeria and neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.