By Saba Partovi
Thousands of bodies remain rotting in the streets of Nigeria after another attack from Boko Haram, an Islamic based terrorist movement that has been committing mass murders since the beginning of 2009. The latest attack took place in Baga, Nigeria and has left an estimated 2,500 killed.
“The human carnage perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists in Baga was enormous,” defense group spokesperson Muhammad Abba Gava said to The Associated Press.
The 2015 Baga Massacre, which took place January 3 to 7, was a new wave of attacks from Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, who recently became one of the world’s most wanted men.
Since becoming leader of the Boko Haram militant group, Shekau has been responsible for killing an estimated 40,000 Nigerians.
Boko Haram, which translates to “Western Education is forbidden” in Arabic, aims to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria and has recently grown in its numbers.
Boko Haram is most widely known for its kidnapping of 300 Nigerian school girls in April of 2014.
Three weeks after the abductions took place, Shekau took responsibility for the attack in a video message, calling the young girls “slaves” that were worthy of selling.
The disappearance of the girls prompted a large social media campaign with the hashtag #bringbackourgirls, which was supported by Michelle Obama, First Lady of the USA, as well as many other notable dignitaries.
However, despite efforts, the majority of the media has begun to present less and less of the massacres going on in Nigeria, leaving thousands in the United States (U.S.) furious because of a lack of transparency.
“We urge Nigeria and its neighbours to take all possible steps to address the urgent threat of Boko Haram,” U.S. State Department spokesman Jen Psaki said in January.
“Even in the face of these horrifying attacks, terrorist organizations like Boko Haram must not distract [us] from the peace that will reflect the will of the Nigerian people,” Psaki continued.
