Twin blast hits Maiduguri again

The Nigerian city of Maiduguri came underattack again on Tuesday, just days afterBoko Haram bombings killed 58 people, as the government dismissedthe militants' link to the Islamic State(Isis) group.
Twin blasts ripped throughthe northeasterncity's crowded Monday Market, which has been repeatedly hit by suicide bombers, including on Saturday, as well as a nearby street.
Butthere was no immediate word on casualtiesor the cause of the explosions, as the location was shut down.
The latest attackscame after the governmentin Abuja described the militants' pledgeof allegiance to Isisas a sign of weakness in the face of growing military pressure from Nigeria and its allies.
National security spokespersonMike Omeri called it "an actof desperation and comesat a time when Boko Haram is suffering heavy losses".
He added: "Boko Haram is on theway tobeing eliminated.
"No foreign extremistscan or will changethis fact - as long as the Nigerian military continuesto receive co-operation and commitmentfrom its citizens and allies.
"Therewill be no Islamic State in Nigeria, the only statethat will existis theunited Federal Republic of Nigeria."
Coalition gains
Omeri's tough talk come as Boko Haram is being squeezedout of captured territoryin three northeastern statesofNigeria by a regional coalition ofNigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
The armies have claimed a series of successesin recentweeks, with the operation designed tosecure and stabilise the northeast so that elections can takeplace on 28 March.
The Nigerian army said on Tuesdayit had foiled a Boko Haram attack on the town of Gombi, in Adamawa state, on Monday evening, seizing heavy weaponry and ammunition.
Thatfollowed a Chadian and Nigerien offensiveon Monday to retake the Borno statetown of Damasak, which fell into rebel hands last November.
Security analysts have said Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau's pledgeof allegiance tohis Isis group counterpart Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may only have propaganda value in the shortterm.
Butthey did not rule out possible closer links in the future.
The bombattacks in Maiduguri - and a spate of othersacrossthe wider north - have underscoredthe fragile securityin therun-up to the elections, which Shekau has vowed todisrupt.
Humanitarian crisis
The Boko Haram conflict, which began in 2009, has claimed morethan13 000 lives and leftsome 1.5 million homeless, with refugeesspreadacross Nigeria and neighbouring countries.
On Tuesday, theInternational Committeeof the Red Cross warned of an increasingly dire situation for the displaced in the strategic Lake Chad region, where Nigeria meetsNiger, Chad and Cameroon.
"Thereis a full-blown humanitarian crisis around this lake, not only in Nigeria, but also in the surrounding countries," ICRC spokespersonJean-Yves Clemenzo told reportersin Geneva.
The organisation said it had steppedup itseffortsin the region, providing food, household items, sanitary facilities and assistanceto help cope with the influx ofcasualties.
Butthe head of the ICRC delegation in Nigeria, Karl Mattli, said: "It's not enough. Morehas to bedone."
The vastnumbers ofdisplaced people- many of whom have flocked to Maiduguri - has been a nagging questionin the run-up to the vote, at which President Goodluck Jonathan is seeking re-election.
The region is a main opposition stronghold but with many voters unable toreturn home tocast theirballots, the validity of the overall resultmay be questioned if they are disenfranchised.
Nigeria's electoral commissionis scrambling for a solution to the issue, including temporary voter ID cards.