At least 56 killed in Nigeria suicide attack

Health officials in Nigeria announced on Wednesday that two suicide attackers killed at least 56 people in attacks on the Dikwa refugee camp in the northeast part of the country (pictured above in an archive photo from December 2015).

The attacks were carried out by two women on Tuesday morning and also wounded 80 people. Around 50,000 people live in the camp, which is around 85 kilometers (53 miles) west of the capital of Borno state, Maiduguri.

While no group has claimed responsibility, it resembles similar attacks by Boko Haram, the jihadist group responsible for thousands of killings in Nigeria over the last several years. The group has used women for attacks in the past.

Boko Haram fighters are seeking to establish a hard-line Islamic state in northern Nigeria and neighboring regions. The conflict has killed some 17,000 people and forced more than 2.6 million to flee their homes since it began in 2009. The people in the camp that was attacked on Tuesday were among those who had fled Boko Haram violence.

mz/jil (Reuters, AP)