Archbishop denounces massacre in Nigeria; 500 dead

Archbishop KwashiON  MARCH 7 Muslims launched deadly nighttime attacks on Christians in the three farming villages of Dogo Nahawa, Zot and Rastat in Plateau State near the city of Jos, Nigeria. Sources estimate that around 500 people were killed and 200 injured in the violence.

The Muslim attackers, members of the Fulani ethnic group, killed hundreds of Christians, many of whom were women and children. The majority of the victims were members of the Berom ethnic group. "We were woken up by gunshots in the middle of the night, and before we knew what was happening, our houses were torched and they started hacking down people," said one survivor. The Muslims rampaged through homes while chanting "Allah Akbar!" (God is great!) and brutally attacked people with knives and machetes. They also set fire to houses, burning approximately 75 to the ground. Witnesses said some victims were caught in animal traps and nets as they tried to escape in the dark. 

The attack is the latest in several recent religious clashes in the state. While the country is almost evenly divided between Christians and Muslims, Plateau State is predominantly Christian. The Muslim minority has long contested ownership of land in the state, intensifying tension between the two groups.

[Most of the Muslims in the region are cattle herders while the Christians are mostly farmers. Pasture land in central and northern Nigeria has been drying up, forcing herders closer to farming communities. Some farmers claim cattle have been destroying their crops. Some 8,000 Nigerians have also been displaced in the Jos area because of the ongoing conflict, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.]  -- Compass Direct, Christian Solidarity Worldwide

Archbishop denounces violence

The Rt. Rev. Benjamin Kwashi, Anglican Archbishop of Jos, has issued a public letter strongly criticizing the government's inaction during the violence. He said that there was an enforced curfew in the area, but wondered why no security had been available to prevent the massacre:

"Some of these communities may never again be recognised in history because generations have been wiped out. Hundreds of corpses of men, women, children and grandchildren littered the burned houses, roads, bush paths, farm areas and hiding places.

“Is there no other way by which matters can be resolved except through this sadistic and cruel way of making peoples' lives miserable? For me, as a Christian, human life is so sacred that no one, absolutely no one, should tamper with it, no matter what religious faith you belong to. Human life is so sacred and we have to teach and train people to value it: it is a gift from God.

“The purpose of the curfew is to stop events like this. Failure of the government to provide full security for its citizenry leaves a people with very little option but to provide for their own kind of security. History has shown that these kinds of security are bred in vengeance, retaliation, bitterness, hatred and malice. This gives birth to an almost endless cycle of senseless violence as can be seen in many nations of the world today. Where is our government in all the levels of governance? Where were they on this night? Where were they on 17th January? Shall we continue to have the ugly sight of mass burials? Are there no leaders who fear God, who will swallow their pride and choose to be humble before God for the sake of those faces of slaughtered children?

“The new dimension these attacks are assuming is revealing a system of well-trained terror groups who right now have attacked these villages, and only God knows which community will be next. Their merciless precision and fearlessness should give any government serious concern. The earlier that these kinds of groups are rounded up, the better for everybody. I know as a fact of many Christian religious, political and community leaders who are willing and prepared peacefully to arrive at workable conditions for people to live with. I also know as a fact that there are Muslim religious, political and community leaders who are willing to find solutions.”

“I urge believers to clean and clear their minds of any form of bitterness, resentment or even any thought of vengeance against one another from within the fellowship, and then we can see clearly how to respond in times of difficulty such as this one.”

For Archbishop Kwashi’s full letter see http://www.standfirminfaith.com/?/sf/page/25709