Nigeria | May 14, 2024
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As reported by The Pillar on 18 May 2023, over 100 people were killed when suspected Fulani herdsmen simultaneously attacked nine villages in Mangu Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau state on 16 May. In the coordinated operation, Christian men, women and children were brutally killed, houses were burnt down, and farmland was destroyed. The report states: “Coordinated attacks in the last four months had left more than 200 dead in the region, before the violence this week added to that number.”
Frans Veerman, Managing Director of World Watch Research, comments: “Once again armed Fulani herdsmen, who are Muslim, have launched a large-scale attack on mainly Christian communities with no protection from the security forces. It is indeed hard not to suspect that there is some form of collusion taking place to get rid of Christian communities in Plateau state. But the report mentioned above is only about one of the major attacks. For a broader view of the ongoing violence, it is well worth studying the weekly newsletter published by the International Committee On Nigeria (ICON, 22 May 2023). South African Denis Hurley Peace Institute also collates selected media articles and regularly covers small-scale violence in Nigeria. These two organizations give a shocking indication of the sheer frequency of hostile activity against Christians perpetrated by armed Fulani herdsmen.”
Frans Veerman adds: “According to the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA, accessed 23 May 2023), 12,793 Christians were killed in Nigeria over the last 3 years, many by armed Fulani herdsmen. Expectations are not high that the new government and president – sworn in on 29 May 2023 (Al-Jazeera, 29 May 2023) – will take effective action to curb the herdsmen incursions and impunity.”
(Revised text: 20 June 2023)
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