Boko Haram militants have killed 33 fishermen and loggers in two separate attacks in Borno state, in northeastern Nigeria, sources told AFP on Wednesday.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more displaced since the Boko Haram insurgency, which later split into the rival Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA), began 17 years ago.

The resurgence of jihadist attacks in recent months has prompted the Nigerian military to increase its cooperation with the United States. Over the weekend and earlier this week, joint airstrikes were carried out in Borno state, killing 175 jihadists, according to official government statements in Abuja and Washington.

On Monday, two jihadist attacks killed 27 fishermen in the Mafa region and six loggers in Dikwa, a source in a paramilitary group fighting against them and a union member told AFP.

"The fishermen were stopped by Boko Haram fighters on motorbikes two kilometers from the town of Mafa" and "killed all 27 of them," said Babakura Kolo, a member of a paramilitary organization that assists the army and participates in anti-jihadist operations.

Abdullahi Sani, an official of the fishermen's union in Maiduguri, the state capital, about 50km from Mafa, gave the same statement.

Earlier in the day, six woodcutters were killed by Boko Haram members while collecting firewood in an area outside Malam Maja village in the neighboring Dikwa region, according to Mr. Kolo.

The cutters were among those internally displaced by the jihadists and were living in camps in the town of Dikwa, 90km from Maiduguri, he added.

Jihadists are increasingly targeting civilians in the region – loggers, farmers, fishermen, shepherds, scrap metal dealers, etc. – accusing them of providing information about them to the military.

Two weeks ago, Boko Haram fighters killed 18 loggers outside the village of Abaram, in the Bama area of ​​the same state, Borno, according to members of an anti-jihadist paramilitary group and residents.

Most forcibly displaced people live in makeshift camps and depend on international aid agencies for food and other essential supplies.

But with humanitarian aid significantly reduced following funding cuts from many countries, many are forced to find ways to survive.