A series of Nigerian village were massacred in a senseless attack. The attack occurred on Christmas Day and left over 140 for dead. The attackers also kidnapped individuals who are still missing.
The Nigerian government was slow to respond, which further enflamed the Christian-Muslim division in the country. ABC News says:
Gunmen attacked remote villages over the weekend in north-central Nigeria’s Plateau state, killing at least 140 people, officials and survivors said Tuesday, the latest case this year of such mass killings blamed on the farmer-herder crisis in the West African nation.
The assailants targeted 17 communities in “senseless and unprovoked” attacks on Saturday and Sunday, burning down most houses in the area, Plateau Gov. Caleb Mutfwang said in a broadcast on the local Channels Television.
Villagers blamed the attack on the neighboring Fulani tribe. The Fulanis are Muslim headers, who have come into conflict with the Christian farmers before. Fox News reports:
Some of the locals said that it took more than 12 hours before security agencies responded to their call for help.
No group took responsibility for the attacks though blame fell on herders from the Fulani tribe, who have been accused of carrying out such mass killings across the northwest and central regions where the decades-long conflict over access to land and water has further worsened the sectarian division between Christians and Muslims in Africa’s most populous nation.
Nigeria continues to be plagued by insurgencies in the North of the country. ISIS and Boko Haram is still present across the Sahel region, and the instability of neighboring countries with coups adds to the fuel.
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