Friday, March 26, 2010

"Hundreds of Christians Killed in Nigerian Attacks"

Archbishop John Onaiyekan, of the capital city of Abuja:


"[P]eople don't kill for religion...

"but for social, economic, tribal and cultural reasons..."



Adapted from the Jesuit magazine, America. March 22, 2010.

"Reports suggest as many as 500 people were killed in pre - dawn assaults on three villages close to the city of Jos in the Ngerian state of Plateau on March 7.

"Archbishop John Onaiyekan, of the Nigerian capital, Abuja, warned against describing the violence as a religious conflict.

"He told Vatican Radio that the violence was rooted not in religion but in other differences.

"Initial reports blame the attacks on members of the Muslim Fulani tribe, who work as herders, against the Christian Berom tribe, for the most part farmers.

""[H]e said International media will say that Christians and Muslims are killing each other. But this is not the case because people don't kill for religion, but for social, economic, tribal and cultural reasons.

"Archbishop Onaiyekan said. The victims are poor people who don't have anything to do with all this and are not responsible. It is a classic conflict between pastoralists and farmers, except that all the Fulani are Muslims and all the Berom are Christians...

"The Nigerian government is weak and not able to contain the groups who are vying for dominance of the territory, the archbishop said...."

A good informative read...

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