UPDATE 1-Nigeria buries 43 farmers killed by militants, dozens missing

(Adds United Nations comment)
By Lanre Ola
ZABARMARI, Nigeria, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Villagers in
northeast Nigeria's Borno state on Sunday buried 43 farmers
killed in an attack by suspected Islamist militants while
security forces searched for dozens still missing.
Around 30 of the men were beheaded in the attack, which
began on Saturday morning in the village of Zabarmari, while
residents said 70 people in all are feared dead. While there was no claim of responsibility, such massacres
have been carried out in the past by Boko Haram or the Islamic
State West Africa Province which are both active in the area,
where Islamic militants have killed at least 30,000 people.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the killings
and said "the entire country is hurt".
In Zabarmari, dozens of mourners surrounded the bodies,
which were wrapped in white burial shrouds and placed on wooden
pallets, as clerics led prayers for the deceased.
One resident and Amnesty International said 10 women were
among those missing.
United Nations humanitarian coordinator Edward Kallon said
he was "outraged and horrified" by "the most violent direct
attack" against civilians this year.
The U.N. estimated that at least 110 people were killed
across the Jere local government area of Borno state.
Borno state governor Babagana Zulum, speaking at the
burials, called on the federal government to recruit more
soldiers, Civilian Joint Task Force members and civil defence
fighters to protect farmers.
"In one side, they stay at home they may be killed by hunger
and starvation, on the other, they go out to their farmlands and
risk getting killed by the insurgents," he said.
Food prices in Nigeria have risen dramatically over the past
year, driven by flooding, border closures and insecurity in some
food-producing areas.