Emmanuel Akinwotu

And it also comes with the religious symbolism of launching these strikes on Christmas Day.

Several worshippers were hit in the blast at a crowded mosque on Wednesday evening and taken to nearby hospitals.

The attack is the first in years in Medjugorje, the capital of Borno state, where the insurgency by Boko Haram began in 2009.

The city has been largely fortified by a heavy military presence, but in recent months, local officials have warned that in rural areas across the region, militants have a growing foothold.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which local officials have called a suicide bombing.

But militants have previously targeted mosques and crowded areas.

Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR News, Lagos.

Witnesses in the capital, Bissau, have reported heavy gunfire, including at the electoral body where provisional results were due to be announced on Thursday.

Both President Umaru Sisoko Mbalo and his closest rival, Fernando Diaz, had claimed victory after a tightly fought election held on Sunday, where the main opposition candidate was barred from running.

In recent years, President Mbalo has warned of multiple takeover attempts by the military, the latest in October when several military officers were arrested.

The tiny coastal nation with a population of around 2 million people is one of the poorest countries in the world with a history of military coups since independence from Portugal in 1974.

Emmanuel Akimotu, NPR News.

I don't believe it.

I don't believe it.

I don't believe it.

Good morning. It's utterly devastating and surreal. Before Khartoum became the centre of the war, this was a really vibrant, proud, historic city, over six million people. But then two years of war between these two former allies and then occupation by the rapid support forces until just the last month really has left the city emptied, almost eerie.

Good morning. It's utterly devastating and surreal. Before Khartoum became the centre of the war, this was a really vibrant, proud, historic city, over six million people. But then two years of war between these two former allies and then occupation by the rapid support forces until just the last month really has left the city emptied, almost eerie.

Good morning. It's utterly devastating and surreal. Before Khartoum became the centre of the war, this was a really vibrant, proud, historic city, over six million people. But then two years of war between these two former allies and then occupation by the rapid support forces until just the last month really has left the city emptied, almost eerie.

Sways of it are torched, damaged, destroyed by artillery and gunfire. And this is from everyday areas to the presidential palace to hospitals, schools, museums. Even the airport has been burnt to a crisp. Before the RSF were forced out of Khartoum, they stripped the city almost like locusts, looting it to a degree that's honestly just really hard to grasp.

Sways of it are torched, damaged, destroyed by artillery and gunfire. And this is from everyday areas to the presidential palace to hospitals, schools, museums. Even the airport has been burnt to a crisp. Before the RSF were forced out of Khartoum, they stripped the city almost like locusts, looting it to a degree that's honestly just really hard to grasp.