22 Nigerian soldiers killed by suspected terrorists: military

Abuja, Jan 27 At least 22 Nigerian soldiers have been killed and several others wounded by suspected terrorists in a remote town in the country's northeastern state of Borno, the military said on Monday.

Edward Buba, spokesperson for the military, confirmed the casualties in a statement obtained Monday by Xinhua in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, without revealing where and when the attack took place.

He said the suspected terrorists planned an ambush and deployed improvised explosive devices, such as person-borne explosive devices and vehicle-borne explosive devices, to ward off advancing ground troops during an anti-terror raid.

The recent attack on troops followed the thwarting of several terrorist attempts on military bases in Borno, with the military "shooting down the amateur drones used by the terrorists" in some of the attacks, Buba said, recalling that at least 70 suspected terrorists, including a brigade commander and a special forces commander for an armed group in the northeast region, had been killed earlier.

On Sunday, local media outlets reported that another high-ranking commander was also among those killed during the attack on an army base in Borno, Xinhua news agency reported.

Armed attacks have been a primary security threat in Nigeria's northern and central regions, leading to deaths and kidnappings in recent months.

Kenyan President William Ruto, who is also the champion of the African Union (AU) institutional reforms, said on Monday that conflict continues to deny Africa of its potential, costing the continent an estimated 18 billion US dollars annually and displacing millions of people.

Ruto said Africa currently hosts 35 million internally displaced persons, 8.9 million refugees, 1.1 million asylum seekers, and one million stateless persons.

"Between April and June 2024 alone, a total of 1,000 terrorism incidents were recorded across Africa, resulting in 4,818 deaths," he said during the high-level Extended Bureau Retreat on AU Institutional Reforms held in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.

The day-long event brought together presidents from Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia, Ghana, and the Comoros, as well as Moussa Faki, Chairperson of the AU Commission, to accelerate reforms of the 55-member continental organisation.

Ruto noted that the AU security architecture in its current configuration is incapable of addressing the continent's complex dynamics and challenges, and there is an urgent need for immediate revitalization of the peace and security architecture.

He also said the pan-African bloc's presence in regional hotspots remains weak, fragmented, and under-resourced.

Source: IANS