Condemnations trail Air Force mistaken attack on IDP camp
- The international community has condemned the mistaken Air Force attack on an IDP camp in Rann, Borno state
- Some of them have started evacuating their injured workers
- Many are calling for investigation into the act
International aid bodies working in the North-east have condemned the mistake of the Nigerian Air Force which dropped a bomb inside the Rann IDP camp in Borno state leading to the death of about 53 people with 120 injured.
The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) described the incident as shocking and acceptable.
In a statement released to the media yesterday, January 17, the director of operations, Dr Jean-Clement Cabrol, of the MSF said: “This large-scale attack on vulnerable people who have already fled from extreme violence is shocking and unacceptable.
“The safety of civilians must be respected. We are urgently calling on all parties to ensure the facilitation of medical evacuations by air or road for survivors who are in need of emergency care.”
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Similarly, the Nigerian Red Cross Society said six of its members were killed and 13 wounded in the strike.
''We are profoundly saddened with the news of casualties among the Red Cross staff and volunteers in Ran. Our thoughts are with the families of the dead and wounded Red Cross colleagues,'' the society said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.
On its part, the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) has dispatched a helicopter with four medical personnel, 400 kg of emergency medical supplies and airlifted eight Nigeria Red Cross workers injured in the military airstrike.
“This is an unfortunate tragedy that befell people already suffering the effects of violence,” said Peter Lundberg, the UN Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria.
Lundberg said the wounded have arrived Maiduguri with UNHAS and they have been taken by Nigerian Army and ICRC ambulances to hospital.
Reacting to the incident, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Peter Maurer, described the incident as ''dreadful''.
He deplored the casualties, adding that aid workers and civilians are not a target.
On his part, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright called on the Nigerian Air Force to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure ''this tragic mistake does not recur.''
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Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged federal help to Borno state government in attending to the victims of the operational mistake.
In a statement by his special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, the president pleaded for calm, while praying to God to grant repose to the souls of the dead.
Source: Legit.ng
