What happened?
On 17 June 2019, a triple suicide attack killed nearly 30 people and injured more than a dozen injured in northeastern Nigeria. Three bombers, two girls and a boy reportedly carried out the bombing outside a hall in Konduga village in Borno state where fans were watching a game of football on television. 

According to popular media, the attack had no immediate claims but bore the evident tactics used by the Boko Haram jihadist group. Boko Haram has targeted video halls in several past occasions calling them un-Islamic.

What is the background?
Boko Haram has been waging an insurgency across the north-east of Nigeria for a decade now. The group which claimed their allegiance to the Islamic State is known for using women and children as suicide bombers into crowded markets and mosques. The northeastern part of Nigeria, especially places like Konduga has remained the group's stronghold and vulnerable to attacks. 

What does it mean? 
While the attack in Borno state is not an isolated event in the northeastern part of the country which remains the centre of action for the action, it emphasises how complex and grave the security challenges remain. While the State claims that the Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa to have mostly disintegrated as their operating terrain had significantly dropped over the years, civilians and military personnel along the region continue to suffer. Besides, several unclaimed armed attacks have increasingly scaled up concerns over regional security and the further spread of terrorism. 

Seetha Lakshmi Dinesh Iyer is currently a Research Associate with ISSSP, NIAS. She can be reached at seethadinesh2807@gmail.com