A new attack by Muslim Fulani bandits has left Nigeria’s Christians displaced and desperate, with their government unresponsive.
During the Christmas holidays, terrorists caused death and destruction in the Christian communities of Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Mangu, in Plateau state, central Nigeria. Nearly 170 people have been confirmed dead, and the death toll is likely to rise. Father Andrew Dewan is the director of communications for the diocese of Pankshin, where the attacks occurred. He spoke to Aid to the Church in Need about the coordinated attacks on 26 villages that began on December 23 and did not end until December 26.
Early reports say that around 170 people died in this latest violent episode. Can you confirm these figures?
If I can. So far, there are 164 or 167 deaths, but the number will undoubtedly increase, because there are many people in hospitals, injured of various degrees.
Are the victims all Christians, or were the attacks indiscriminate?
These unprovoked attacks were well-coordinated and deliberate, specifically targeting Christian communities. I can confirm that the victims are 100% Christians.
You talk about well-coordinated attacks. How did the terrorists act?
The violence began at night, in the rural community of Mushu. About 18 people died and several more were injured.
Just as people were trying to come to terms with what happened in Mushu, Tudun Mazat was attacked. The attackers broke into the community at night, while most people were eating dinner and those who had finished were visiting friends. Before the people could raise the alarm, the bandits were already upon them. They shot and killed people, and burned houses, corn crops, churches and dispensaries. I had gone to this same community for Christmas mass that morning. And from Tudun Mazat, Fulani terrorists descended on Maiyanga, killing 13 people. Around 20 other communities were attacked that night.
Do you know the identity and motives of the attackers?
Survivors and eyewitnesses categorically stated that they were Fulani militiamen, or mercenaries. In the communities where Christians live alongside Fulanis, not a single Fulani person was affected, and no Fulani houses were burned, so there is no doubt that the attackers were Fulanis.
As for the motive, I am not sure, but it may be related to the attacks that took place in the neighboring area, Mangu. The Fulanis attacked the communities there, and hoped that Christians in neighboring communities would allow them access, but they refused. I think they attacked again because of that.
These attacks have a long history. The Fulani pastoralists, or pastoralists, are originally from the Sahel region, the northern corridor of Africa, and there were grazing lands there for pastoralists, but they are now desert. Therefore, the Fulanis and their livestock have moved south to greener pastures in the Middle Belt area, where attacks have continually occurred. To access these pastures without hindrance, they would have to dispossess the natives, who are Christians.
It’s a competition for land. The natives sometimes prevent the Fulanis from doing so if they clearly see that they are going to attack the communities. And the Fulanis, because of this resistance, attack them. I think that’s what happened in this case.
Did the fact that it was Christmas also contribute, or was it a coincidence?
For those who believe this conflict is not religious, this latest attack demonstrates that it is clearly a religious conflict. The fact that it took place at Christmas – and that it deliberately targeted Christians in a mixed community, where Muslims were not attacked – clearly has all the hallmarks of a religious conflict. I know not everyone likes to admit it, but for me, who has been on the ground, observing and writing about the issue, it has all the hallmarks of a religious conflict.
The attacks were deliberate and also symbolic for the moment in which they occurred. The mainstream media and social media had spread the rumor that the Fulanis were going to attack, and that the objective was to inflict pain and maximum destruction on the Christians. Many of us had ruled it out, but the attention of the security forces was called, although, as always, nothing was done until the tragedy occurred.
Victims of these attacks in Nigeria often complain about the lack of response from security forces. Do you have the same complaint?
I got it. I have read reports that suggest that the military and security forces are complicit in this, because if they were really up to the task, they should have collected intelligence, because, as I said, there had been rumors, including about the hours in which they were going to attack. That should have put security on red alert, but, as is often the case, they were caught off guard.
What have the political leaders done?
We are facing absent leaders. Our leaders don’t live in the community, so they don’t understand the issues that are hurting people. We are reaching a point where if something drastic is not done to deal with this coming storm, the possibility of people taking the law into their own hands is quite high.
Many people must be coming to you for comfort and spiritual support. How important is your role to the community now?
Right now it is quite a challenge, because we are facing a huge avalanche of internally displaced people. Christians from villages flock to urban centers in search of shelter, food and clothing, at a time when the weather is very cold, comparable to that of Europe at this time. Due to the lack of an official response, churches are often left to respond to these emergencies. Hundreds of internally displaced people are seen in church compounds, and churches have to provide food, clothing and financial resources. The situation is, indeed, dire.
Although some Christians disillusioned by these unprovoked attacks are now tempted to return to traditional African religions, the vast majority draw inspiration from the Scriptures and the life of the early Church.
—Filipe d’Avillez
2023-12-29 20:28:43
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