Two teenage female suicide bombers blew themselves up in a busy market in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri, Borno state, on Nov. 25, killing at least 30 people. Deutsche Welle reports from neighboring Adamawa state (see map [6]) that traditional hunters in rural areas, armed only with bows and arrows, are organizing patrols to protect their villages against Boko Haram. While one vigilante told DW, "our prayers protect us against their weapons," the report was not clear if the force is made up of Muslims, Christians or both. Said Hilary Matfess [7], a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore: "What's interesting about the rise of these vigilante groups is the fact that they typically don't fall along sectarian lines. It's an almost spontaneous response by local communities to the failure of the police and military to maintain order." (DW [8], CSM [9], Nov. 25)
Officials in Cameroon meanwhile say Boko Haram attacks have led to the closure of at least 130 schools near its northern border with Nigeria. Most students have left the area for safer places in the country's interior. Schools are a favorite target of Boko Haram, whose name means Western education is sin. (VOA [10], Nov. 25)
