Posted: 12/13/2015 at 3:54am
|
IP Logged
|
|
|
More Problems for Christians in
Nigeria
But
is it all caused by Boko Haram?
By
Scott A. Morgan, Special to ASSIST News Service
NIGERIA
(ANS – Dec. 12, 2015) -- When one hears or thinks of Christian
persecution that is occurring inside Nigeria the first thoughts seemingly focus
on the Boko Haram Militancy that started in the Northeastern part of the Country
and has been able to spread outside of Nigeria to its neighbors.
The
State in question is Taraba, which lies to the south of the Area where the
Islamists have focused their insurgency which are the States of Yobe, Adamawa
and Borno. It also forms part of the border with Cameroon. Like several other
States in Nigeria, Taraba had had one person dominate the political landscape.
That person is Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, and while researching this article, a
search was conducted regarding the political landscape of Taraba and I
discovered that his website was taken down by theNigerian Authorities. It is
believed that nothing happens in the State without his knowledge.
The
question now is who is the guilty party? It is reported that they are the
Fulani’s, a nomadic Islamic tribe that resides in the area. According to a report
documented by the Nigeria Conflict Security Analysis Network, and analyzed by
World Watch Research, which is part of Open Doors International, the numbers,
especially related to the Fulani’s, are staggering. Using data collected between
December 2013 and July 2015 the following incidents have taken place within
Taraba State:
*
1,484 Christians have been killed which are broken down into 532 men, 507 women
and 445 children.
*
2,388 were injured which were broken down into 1,069 men, 817 women and 502
children.
*
171 Churches were destroyed, 314 homes, and 39 shops and businesses.
At this
time there are 10 IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) Camps open within the State
currently housing 11,898 People. In Benue State there are six camps open and
housing 12,664 IDPs. An estimated 10,000 more IDPs are camped along the
Nigerian-Cameroonian Border as well. What is a concern is that it is estimated
that this covers only 50% of the reported atrocities against the Christians
committed by the Fulani’s.
Earlier
this year Nigerians elected a New President, Muhammadu Buhari, to deal with a
myriad of issues such as a poor economy and the Boko Haram insurgency. These
concerns have easily overshadowed the events that have occurred in Taraba. It
has been recommended that the UN Human Rights Council send a Commission of
Inquiry to the region (Middle Belt) The focus will be to determine if
ethnic/religious cleansing is taking place in this state.
No data
regarding violence against Muslims has been collected to determine how they have
suffered in this area. It feels that some type of cleansing process is taking
place to support the Boko Haram insurgency. This is also something that the US
Embassy in Nigeria and the Congress need to investigate so that the proper
discussions could be held with the Government in Abuja.
The
region is already in a precarious state. Nothing else that will inflame tensions
needs to occur. It’s time for Abuja and its allies/donors to face some critical
questions. Such why is the UN interested in the Atrocities there and not in the
Northeast? Why is the Nigerian government focused more on Boko Haram as a threat
to National Security than what is occurring in Taraba?
Photo
captions: 1) Shocking image of some of the Christians who have perished in
Nigeria. 2) Fulani herdsmen on the attack. 3) A Church destroyed by Islamists in
Nigeria. 4) Scott A. Morgan.
About
the writer: Scott A. Morgan has been the President of Red Eagle Enterprises
since its inception in November 2012. He uses his experience from serving in the
U.S. Marines during the Reagan administration, attending college for Criminal
Justice, Advocacy for Human Rights with Amnesty International and writing to
come up with an interesting matrix and business model. Currently based in
Washington, DC, he specializes in US Policy towards Africa focusing on Security,
Assymetrical Operations and Business Development South of the Sahara. His Blog
Confused Eagle can be found at http://confusedeagle.livejournal.com
and his e-mail address is: confusedeagledc@gmail.com
**
You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST
News Service (www.assistnews.net)
Edited by News Room on 12/13/2015 at 3:57am
|