Nigeria - Researched and compiled by the Refugee Documentation Centre of Ireland on Tuesday 5, Wednesday 6 & Thursday 7 July 2016 Information on Boko Haram activity in Maiduguri between January 2015 & July 2016; A report issued in April 2016 by the United States Department of State commenting on events of 2015 includes noting attacks by Boko Haram including: “On January 10, for example, a bomb strapped to a 10-year-old girl exploded in a marketplace in Maiduguri, Borno, killing 16 persons and injuring more than 20. On July 26, a 10-year-old girl carried out a bombing at the entrance to a market in Damaturu, Yobe, killing 10 persons and wounding 50 others” (United States Department of State (13 April 2016) 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – Nigeria). In June 2015 the United Kingdom Home Office utilising a secondary source states in a report that: “Boko Haram is gradually encircling the main north-eastern city of Maiduguri, the birthplace of the group, and twice launched a concerted assault on the city towards the end of January 2015” (United Kingdom Home Office (June 2015) Nigeria: Fear of Boko Haram, p.21). Amnesty International in January 2015 states: “A failure to protect hundreds of thousands of civilians could lead to a disastrous humanitarian crisis said Amnesty International with reports of two large scale attacks in Nigeria on the major north-eastern city of Maiduguri as well as the nearby town of Monguno…Amnesty International has received reports that at 6am on Sunday, gunmen attacked the base of 33 Artillery brigade at Jintilo village, just 6km outside Maiduguri. There are reports of ongoing fighting at the air force base closer to Maiduguri” (Amnesty International (25 January 2015) Boko Haram attack on Maiduguri: hundreds of thousands of civilians at grave risk). A report issued by Amnesty International in April 2015 lists the following bomb attacks from January to March 2015: “…10 January 2015 Maiduguri, Borno A bomb at Monday Market killed at least 12 people. The bomb may have been carried by a girl… 7 March 2015 Maiduguri, Borno Multiple bomb attacks killed more than 45 people in five bomb attacks at a market and two motor parks… 10 March 2015 Maiduguri, Borno A female suicide bomber killed 18 civilians at Monday Market” (Amnesty International (13 April 2015) 'Our job is to shoot, slaughter and kill': Boko Haram's reign of terror in north east Nigeria). A publication released in June 2015 by Human Rights Watch notes that: “On Jan. 25, Boko Haram militants extended their reach by capturing the town of Monguno and a neighboring military base, but Nigeria’s military repelled their assaults on Maiduguri and Konduga, 40 km to the southeast” (Human Rights Watch (10 June 2015) Anatomy of a Boko Haram Massacre). This report also states: “In early June the group intensified its attacks in the country’s northeast, killing scores in a series of assaults and suicide bombings in Maiduguri and elsewhere” (ibid). In February 2015 Agence France-Presse states: “Nigeria's military on Sunday repelled a Boko Haram assault on the key city of Maiduguri as violence raged across the country's northeast just two weeks before national elections. The hours-long attack on the strategic capital of Borno state was the Islamists' second attempt to take Maiduguri in a week” (Agence France-Presse (2 February 2015) Nigerian army repels fresh Boko Haram assault on key city). A publication by the United States Department of State in June 2016 commenting on events of 2015 notes: “On March 6 in Maiduguri in Borno State, the Baga Fish market, mosque, and bus terminal were attacked with 54 persons killed” (United States Department of State (2 June 2016) Country Reports on Terrorism 2015: Nigeria). A document released in March 2015 Agence France-Presse notes: “Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in an audio message published online on Saturday, after three bombs wreaked havoc in northeast Nigeria, killing 58 and wounding scores” (Agence France-Presse (7 March 2015) Boko Haram pledges allegiance to IS group after carnage in Maiduguri). In March 2015 the Agence France-Presse states in a report that: “A bomb attack rocked the Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Tuesday, days after Boko Haram bombings killed 58 people, as the government said the group's allegiance to the Islamic State showed the militants were weakening. A suspected female suicide bomber blew herself up at the crowded Monday Market, which has been repeatedly hit by Boko Haram attacks, including on Saturday, according to witnesses” (Agence France-Presse (10 March 2015) Boko Haram hits Maiduguri again as Nigeria dismisses IS link). A publication released by the Agence France-Presse in May 2015 states: “A group of heavily armed Boko Haram fighters late Wednesday launched an offensive on Maiduguri city which was repelled by troops from a military base on the outskirts of the city, according to the militaryý and residents…At least three soldiers, six vigilantes and dozens of Boko Haram insurgents were killed during clashes in Maiduguri on Wednesday evening, sources have said. The assault was the first on Maiduguri for three months and came after sweeping offensives against Boko Haram strongholds by a regional military coalition of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon” (Agence France-Presse (15 May 2015) At least 55 killed in Boko Haram raids on two Nigerian villages: residents). A document issued in May 2015 by the UNHCR states: “Attacks took place in and around Maiduguri during the week. After President Buhari’s inauguration on 29 May, a nighttime assault on the town’s outskirts took place on 30 May, in which 11 people were killed. On 31 May, a suicide bomber attacked a mosque in Maiduguri, killing at least 16 people and an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by suspected insurgent members exploded in one of the town’s popular markets on the same day” (UNHCR (29 May 2015) Nigeria Situation: UNHCR Regional Update N°10 (23-29 May 2015), p.2). BBC News in May 2015 notes that: “A suicide bomber has killed at least 16 people at a mosque in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, police say. Dozens more were wounded in the attack” (BBC News (30 May 2015) Nigeria violence: Militants kill 29 in Maiduguri). A document issued in June 2016 by the Agence France-Presse points out that: “The death toll from a blast in the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri has risen to 18, a civilian vigilante assisting the military against Boko Haram told AFP on Thursday” (Agence France-Presse (4 June 2015) Death toll rises to 18 in Maiduguri, NE Nigeria blast). This document also states that: “There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast but Maiduguri has been hit repeatedly by Boko Haram Islamists, including in recent days. Early on Saturday morning, Boko Haram fighters shelled the city but were repelled by the military and a suicide bomber later killed 26 at a mosque. On Tuesday morning, suburbs again came under fire from rocket-propelled grenades and at least 13 people were killed in a suicide attack at a cattle market” (ibid). In June 2015 the Agence France-Presse states in a document that: “At least 20 people were killed Monday when a young female suicide bomber detonated her explosives at a bus station in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria, in an attack likely to be blamed on Boko Haram” (Agence France-Presse (22 June 2015) Female suicide bomber kills 20 in Nigeria city of Maiduguri). In July 2015 a document issued by the Agence France-Presse states that: “Four people killed were killed on Monday when a suicide bomber hit a military checkpoint on the outskirts of the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, civilian vigilantes told AFP” (Agence France-Presse (13 July 2015) Suicide attack at checkpoint in Nigeria's Maiduguri kills four). In August 2015 a report released by the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme commenting on events of the previous month states: “Maiduguri residents were alerted to gun battles by 10 explosions as Nigerian troops and JAS insurgence were engaged in a fierce battle in Zabarmari and Muna Villages at the outskirts of Maiduguri. Members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) are reported to have joined the military to prevent the insurgents from gaining entry into the city. JAS has so far made about five attempts since 2014 to seize Maiduguri” (Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme (10 August 2015) Conflict Briefing Note for July 2015). A document issued in September 2015 by Voice of America states: “As many as 100 people were killed in northern Nigeria in a series of coordinated explosions suspected to be the work of Boko Haram militants late Sunday. Witnesses say four blasts detonated within 25 minutes and hit crowded parts of Maiduguri city. The targets included a mosque, a market, and a viewing center where people were watching a football (soccer) match” (Voice of America (21 September 2015) Up to 100 Dead in Maiduguri Blasts). A paper issued in September 2015 by Amnesty International notes: “At least 94 people died on Sunday 20 September when bombs exploded in the cities of Maiduguri and Monguno in north east Nigeria” Amnesty International (24 September 2015) Nigeria: Boko Haram: Bombing campaign sees civilian deaths spiral, p.1). This document also notes that: “Amnesty International has also documented bomb attacks across north east Nigeria. Explosions killed civilians in the following Nigerian cities: Maiduguri, Borno state on 2, 3 and 22 June, 31 July and 20 September…” (ibid, p.3). An article published by the Jamestown Foundation in October 2015 commenting on Boko Haram states: “On September 20, the group carried out one of its most significant attacks in months, killing around 85 people in the northeast city of Maiduguri, in Borno State…The attacks mainly targeted a mosque and people watching a football game on television” (Jamestown Foundation (2 October 2015) Victory Over Boko Haram Continues to Elude Nigeria).