Nigeria: Situation in Jos takes on new dimensions

Source: Missionary International Service News Agency (MISNA) The situation in the state of Plateau remains tense as, according to missionary sources, respect to the past the crisis has assumed different dimensions; the protagonists of the latest attack, say sources close to the Augustine missionaries operating near Jos, are 'fulani' ethnic shepherds who have organized reprisal actions after having suffered violence last January.

Negotiations have been unable to stop the violence and the Fulani traditional chief has refused to take part in a round table talk promoted by the government of the Plateau state in an attempt to raise the reasons for the dispute in a general venue for discussion.

The clashes and aggressions of the last few days – said the same sources – were not approached in the same neutral style as other times by the army; the soldiers act according to their ethno-religious belonging. conflict – said father Hyacinth Kangyep, provincial of the Augustines in Nigeria.

The country, said the missionary, appears to be in evident difficulty in managing the crisis, and this is leading to ever less predictable events. Last march 7, Fulani shepherds attacked three villages near Jos, provoking clashes in which anywhere from 1000 to 400 people were killed (the death toll is unclear), most of them were civilians. Similar incidents but with a far lower death toll took place yesterday.

Published by i On Global Trends - Mike Hitchen Online - news, opinion, analysis
See also Sydney Irresistible and for personal comment, Mike Hitchen Unleashed
Putting principles before profits