Briana KoenemanHuman rights advocates say new evidence shows both Boko Haram and the Nigerian military are committing gruesome abuses. (Via Getty Images)
New video released by Amnesty International Tuesday allegedly shows Nigerian soldiers carrying out abuses against civilians as part of their fight against the armed extremist group Boko Haram.
We will warn you, the footage we're about to show you is disturbing.
This video includes clips of what appears to be Nigerian security forces rounding up detainees, slitting their throats and dumping their bodies into an open grave. Here, you can see them preparing to kill another man. (Via Amnesty International)
Amnesty International said it collected the footage from several sources in Borno State, which is Boko Haram's birthplace and has become a stronghold for the Islamic extremist group. (Via BBC)
Amnesty claims some of the footage was taken on March 14, which Al Jazeera points out is the same day Boko Haram broke into a military detention center in Giwa barracks and freed hundreds of prisoners. The human rights group says the military recaptured about 600 of those prisoners and killed them.
Amnesty International says it had independently confirmed from military sources that those captors seen in the video were Nigerian military personnel. (Via Channels TV)
The human rights group's secretary general said the footage is further proof that all sides in the conflict are committing "appalling" war crimes.
"Nigerians deserve better — what does it say when members of the military carry out such unspeakable acts and capture the images on film?" (Via Amnesty International)
The graphic video seems to back up previous reports that human rights abuses are indeed being carried out by both sides in Nigeria.
Nigerian officials have denied those allegations in the past, saying the country's military has been following the rules. (Via Sky News)
But Boko Haram expert John Campbell told NBC Nigeria's security forces are responsible for killing just as many civilians as Boko Haram. "Boko Haram is an extremely violent group and since 2009 has basically killed any soldier or policeman it has gotten its hands on. Whenever you have got this level of violence and brutality it quickly spirals on both sides."
More than 4,000 people have been killed this year alone as a result of the conflict, according to Amnesty International. Boko Haram's goal is to enforce an Islamic state in Nigeria's northeast, where it has staged a string of deadly attacks. (Via Euronews)
Nigeria launched its military offensive against Boko Haram in 2009. But the group made headlines internationally this April after kidnapping more than 200 schoolgirls. Many of those girls still remain in captivity. (Via The Washington Post)
The Nigerian military is reportedly studying Amnesty International's video footage to identify those behind the abuse. Officials say legal action will be taken against anyone responsible.
