International community condemns massacre of 110 Nigerian farmers

The international community has strongly condemned the massacre of at least 100 rice farmers in northeastern Nigeria on Saturday afternoon.

The killings that took place in villages near Borno state capital Maiduguri were attributed to Boko Haram, a militant Islamist movement.

Reports by the United Nations indicated that armed men attacked men and women who were harvesting their fields in Koshobe and other rural communities in Jere local government area.

In a statement on Sunday, Edward Kallon, the resident and humanitarian coordinator of the United Nations in Nigeria, said he was outraged and horrified by the gruesome attack, calling it the most violent direct attack against innocent civilians this year.

"I strongly condemn this attack and any act of violence against innocent civilians and I firmly urge all actors on the ground to respect international laws and humanity," Kallon said.

He said they had also received reports that several women may have been kidnapped during the attack and called for their immediate release and return to safety.

"My thoughts are also with the rural communities in the area, who are shocked by the brutality of the attack and fear for their safety," Kallon said.

He said the entire UN system and the humanitarian community working to provide life-saving and development assistance to the most vulnerable in Borno state are outraged by the incident.

"Such direct attacks against innocent civilians jeopardize the ability for the most vulnerable people to survive the adversity they are facing, and which we are striving to alleviate," Kallon said.

"It is unfortunately one of too many such attacks targeting farmers, fishermen and families who are trying to recover some livelihood opportunity after over a decade of conflict."

Josep Borrell, the European Union minister for foreign affairs, said he was deeply shocked by yet another horrific attack targeting innocent civilians in northeastern Nigeria.

"We have to continue our collective engagement against terror and violence to provide peace, security and stability for all people in Africa," Borrell said on his Twitter account.

The Turkey Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and extended sincere condolences to the affected families and the government of Nigeria and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.

"We are deeply saddened by the news that more than 40 farm workers lost their lives and many seriously wounded in the heinous attack organized by the terrorist organization Boko Haram on a rice field in the town of Zabarmari in Borno State of Nigeria on Nov 28," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Founded by Mohammed Yusuf, a Muslim cleric, in 2002, Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions from their homes in Nigeria.

The group, whose ideological goal is to introduce Sharia law across its territory, also has footholds in Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Boko Haram is derived from the Hausa language, with Boko meaning book and Haram is an Arabic word for forbidden. Literally translated, Boko Haram means the book is forbidden, or Western education is forbidden, the reason behind frequent attacks on schools by the group.