Chad sentences 10 Boko Haram fighters to death

Chad has sentenced 10 members of the Boko Haram sect to death, following a three-day trial in Chadian capital city, N’djamena.  

The 10 were convicted over their roles in attacks on the capital in June and July, which killed at least 53, BBC is reporting.

The attacks were the first by the Nigerian-based group in Chad, which hosts the headquarters of a regional force set up to fight the militants.

A Nigerian man, Mahamat Moustapha, the alleged mastermind of the June attack in Ndjamena, was among the 10 Boko Haram members sentenced to death on Friday in Chad.

In July, Chad reintroduced the death penalty for acts of terror, to ensure swift sentencing of insurgents terrorising the West African country.

N’Djamena, less than 100 kilometres from the Nigerian border, was hit by a series of suicide bombings in June and July that killed more than 40 people.

Boko Haram is reported to have killed over 17,000 people since it’s “re-birth” in 2009, with about 10,000 deaths in 2014 alone.

The sect, which started its operations in Nigeria, under the leadership of Mohammed Yusuf has extended its operations to neighbouring countries, including, Niger, Benin, Cameroun.

Photo Credit: BBC