Over 7,000 killed by Boko Haram since beginning of 2014 : UN official

Boko Haram Takfiri militants have killed over 7,300 civilians in Nigeria and neighboring countries since the beginning of last year, a UN official says.

UN deputy humanitarian affairs chief Kyung-wha Kang made the comments on Monday while briefing the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in the region.

“Gross human rights violations, including sexual and gender-based violence and child trafficking, are frequently reported,” said Kang.

She added that 1,000 people have been killed since the beginning of this year alone.

The UN official also warned the council that in regions affected by the militant group, 300 schools have been damaged and only 40 percent of health care facilities are functional.  

The UN special representative for West Africa, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, also warned the council that troops from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger, who are taking part in a joint regional offensive against the militants, are reportedly committing human rights violations.   

“We would like to stress that counter-terrorism operations that are perceived by the affected populations to be disproportionate and brutal violate the very norm that we seek to defend,” Chambas said.

He added that Boko Haram's announcement of pledging allegiance to the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group was either for “publicity reasons or to tap into ISIL support," and that it shows "Boko Haram's agenda goes well beyond Nigeria."

Nigeria elections

Referring to Nigeria’s elections, Chambas told the council, "Boko Haram was unable to disrupt the electoral process."

The militants had carried out attacks in various Nigerian states on the country’s election day over the weekend.

Meanwhile on Monday, Nigeria's southern Rivers state announced an overnight curfew as tensions run high over the country's general election results.

The curfew was to “prevent the breakdown of law and order because of the tense political situation,” said Information commissioner Ibim Semenitari.

On Sunday, in the Rivers state’s capital, Port Harcourt, thousands of the supporters of Nigeria’s main opposition party held a protest against alleged voting irregularities in the country’s recent general elections, calling for the votes to be re-held.

People in the oil-rich West African country turned out en masse to vote in a presidential election on March 28 in a close race between incumbent Goodluck Jonathan and former military chief Muhammadu Buhari. The elections were extended until Sunday on the account that ballot papers arrived late or imported card readers failed to recognize the fingerprints of the voters.

The country’s 56.7 million registered voters also cast their ballots in parliamentary elections, with 739 candidates competing for a place in Nigeria’s 109-seat Senate, and 1,780 seeking election to the 360-seat National Assembly.

The vote was marred by violence, with more than 40 people killed in attacks by Boko Haram terrorists in the northeastern state of Borno and another 14 killed in attacks in neighboring Gombe state. Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden,” and controls parts of northeastern Nigeria, had vowed to disrupt the polls by violent attacks.

The Takfiris have claimed responsibility for a number of deadly shooting attacks and bombings in various parts of Nigeria since the beginning of their deadly campaign in 2009, which has displaced over 1.5 million people.

SRK/MHB/AS

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk