A Nigerian military airstrike has mistakenly killed 16 civilians in the northwestern state of Zamfara. The airstrike, which was intended to target armed bandits in the area, accidentally struck members of a local vigilante group, the Zamfara Community Protection Guard (ZCPG), along with other residents who had gathered to defend their community from a reported attack by gunmen.

A Nigerian military airstrike tragically killed 16 civilians, including members of a local vigilante group, in the Tungar Kara community of Zamfara State on Sunday.

The airstrike, intended to target armed bandits in the area, mistakenly struck members of the Zamfara Community Protection Guard (ZCPG), other vigilantes, and residents who had gathered to defend the community against a reported incursion by gunmen.

Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focusing on the Lake Chad region, first reported the incident, citing intelligence sources. In a statement from Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, Sulaiman Bala Idris, the spokesperson for the governor, expressed condolences to the victims’ families.

The statement clarified that the individuals killed were mistaken for bandits fleeing from Gidan Makera in the Boko district of Zurmi Local Government Area (LGA). It acknowledged the effectiveness of recent precision strikes carried out by the Air Component of Operation Fansar Yamma in Maradun and Zurmi LGAs but regretted that members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) and local vigilantes were unintentionally affected, resulting in the loss of lives.

This incident highlights the complexities and devastating consequences of counter-insurgency efforts in Nigeria’s northern regions, where the difficulty in distinguishing between combatants and civilians can lead to fatal outcomes.

Maharazu Salisu Gado Faru, a lawmaker representing Maradun II Constituency in the Zamfara State House of Assembly, confirmed the airstrike targeted local vigilantes who had mobilized to counter the bandits.

The tragedy in Zamfara adds to a series of similar incidents in recent years. In December 2023, a military airstrike in Kaduna State mistakenly hit a Muslim religious gathering in the Tudun Biri community, killing at least 85 people, most of whom were women and children. Earlier in January 2017, a fighter jet targeting insurgents mistakenly struck a camp for displaced persons in Rann, near the Cameroon border, killing at least 112 people.

These repeated incidents emphasize the recurring challenges in Nigeria’s battle against insurgency, where civilians are frequently caught in the crossfire.