Nigeria's military says the air force mistakenly launched an airstrike on a refugee camp in January because the camp was not appropriately marked as a humanitarian base in the military's operational maps.

Defense forces said Friday in a statement that when it noticed mass movement through aerial satellite observation on Jan. 17, it was mistaken for Boko Haram activity. 

It called for all humanitarian activities to be marked on military ground and aerial maps, and a mandatory exchange of information to avoid future mistakes.

A Borno state government official had said more than 230 people were killed when Nigeria's air force bombed multiple times the camp in Rann that was housing Boko Haram refugees.

Air force officials at the time said it was an accident and began an investigation.

AP