Hundreds of people were killed and an estimated 7,000 – 10,000 fled their homes in two days of rioting last week between mainly Muslim Hausa people and mainly Christian Berom people in Jos, the capital of Plateau State, Nigeria. Senior Christian leaders in the state believe that the riots were coordinated and planned, and that the political events were used as a pretext for anti-Christian violence.
The rioting began at 2.00 a.m. on Friday, 28th November, following local elections on Thursday 27th. A police spokesman said that the clashes were triggered by a rumour that the All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) had lost the election to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). In the midst of the violence, the election results were announced, confirming that the PDP had won all 17 local government areas, including the Jos North local government area where the violence was centred. In Jos the ANPP is considered to be a predominantly Muslim party, whereas the PDP is perceived to be mainly Christian.
A curfew was enforced and troops deployed with orders to shoot curfew-breakers on sight. By Sunday calm had been restored. Most estimates of the death toll suggest that 200 to 400 people were killed. Both churches and mosques have been burnt.
[Please pray. For the rest of the article click here. Source: Barnabas Fund]
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Religious wars do not determine what is right - but what is left.
ReplyDelete(And little is left standing/left in existence, etc)
Agreed. And I'm sorry that some Christians appear to be retaliating against the Muslim agression. Violence only breeds more violence. Easy for me to say though. But Jesus said 'love your enemies', and then died for them, so that is the paradigm Christians are called to follow.
ReplyDeleteI find violence like this really hard to understand and quite upsetting. Those poor people who probably got stuck in the middle of it all :(
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