21/05/2014

Nigerian president condemns bombings

                                 Stallkeepers salvage their belongings as rescuers and residents gather at the charred scene following a bomb blast at Terminus market in the central city of Jos (20 May 2014)

                                 Smoke rises after a bomb blast at a bus terminal in Jos, Nigeria (20 May 2014)

Nigeria's president has condemned twin bombings in the central city of Jos, in which at least 118 people were killed. Goodluck Jonathan said those behind the attack were "cruel and evil".

It is feared more bodies still lie under the rubble of buildings destroyed by the explosions, which targeted a crowded market and a hospital. A state of emergency is in place in north-east Nigeria to fight an insurgency waged by the Islamist group Boko Haram.:


                                 Smoke rises after a bomb blast at a bus terminal in Jos, Nigeria (20 May 2014)

                                The wreckage of a charred vehicle remains in front of burning shops following a bomb blast at Terminus market in the central city of Jos (20 May 2014)

                                Firefighters extinguish a fire at the scene of a bomb blast at Terminus market in the central city of Jos (20 May 2014)

Last month Boko Haram abducted 200 girls from a boarding school in the north-eastern town of Chibok.
The president said he was committed to fighting terrorism despite criticism that he has failed to ensure security.

'Enemies of progress'

His office described Tuesday's attack as a "tragic assault on human freedom".

"President Jonathan assures all Nigerians that [the] government remains fully committed to winning the war against terror and... will not be cowed by the atrocities of enemies of human progress and civilisation," it said in a statement.

He announced increased measures to tackle the militants, including a multinational force around Lake Chad which comprises a battalion each from Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Nigeria.

If this is once again the work of Boko Haram, it shows the Islamist extremist group's determination to expand its area of operation and prove that it can strike where it wishes, the BBC's Will Ross, in the Nigerian capital Abuja, says.

The second blast at a market and bus terminal came 30 minutes after the first, killing rescue workers who had rushed to the scene.

Witnesses described a grim scene of dead and badly injured people - some with their limbs blown off - as fires were still raging out of control eight hours after the attack.

The fires were being fuelled by flammable goods at the market, including rubber sandals, the National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) said.

Dozens of casualties were covered in grain that had been loaded in the second car bomb, witnesses said.

Most of the victims were reportedly women.

Nigeria is under renewed worldwide attention over its response to Boko Haram, especially given the global attention on the missing schoolgirls.


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