By Jason Slotkin
Scores are dead after armed men on motorcycles gruesomely attacked agricultural workers in northeastern Nigeria.
Officials say the attack occurred Saturday in the country's Borno state. Multiple outlets report that suspected Islamist militants attacked the farmers while they were harvesting the fields in a rural part of the state.
"The incident is the most violent direct attack against innocent civilians this year. I call for the perpetrators of this heinous and senseless act to be brought to justice," said Kallon, who serves as the resident and humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria.
Reuters reports that 30 of the victims were beheaded in the attack. At least ten women were reportedly still missing as of Sunday.
Though no one has claimed responsibility, Reuters and the
BBC note that at least two militant groups are active in the area: Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province.
Both groups have carried out massacres in the region before. More than 37,000 people have died in incidents involving Boko Haram, the Council on Foreign Relations
estimates.