2 Nigerian military personnel will face court martial over a drone attack that killed 85 villagers

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Two Nigerian military personnel will face a court martial over the killing of 85 villagers in a military drone attack in December in the West African nation’s conflict-battered north, authorities said, prompting calls from a rights group Friday for more transparency and justice for victims.

The two personnel will be subjected to military justice proceedings “for acts of omission or commission” after investigations found that the civilians killed by the strike “were mistaken for terrorists,” Nigeria’s Defense Headquarters spokesperson Maj. Gen. Edward Buba said in a statement Thursday without providing further details.

Nigeria’s military often conducts air raids as it fights the extremist violence and rebel attacks that have destabilized Nigeria’s northern region for more than a decade, often leaving civilian casualties in its wake.