In Niger, in time of the virus, fears of anti-Christian violence
COVID-19 is affecting the whole world. However, while the fight against it is continuing in hospitals and laboratories of many countries, in some nations the healthcare crisis is being exacerbated by grave social issues. Niger is one example. Although the political and administrative authorities have taken rapid measures to combat the spread of the virus, it is not proving easy to persuade some groups of the necessity of these measures.
The population of Niger is 96 percent Muslim. On April 12, 2020, the civil authorities banned public prayers and gatherings in all mosques and churches. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Burkina and Niger had already advised all the dioceses to suspend public Sunday and daily Masses, as well as prayer meetings in the suburbs and other places. However, some Muslim groups, led by extremist imams, are not abiding by the protection measures.
Local sources close to the Catholic Church have told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that in addition to disturbances in the capital of Niamey, people in the town of Meyahi, which is not far from Maradi, the second largest city in the country, took to the streets to protest against the ban on Friday prayers. They attacked and vandalized government buildings, setting fire to a local school and university.
There is a climate of great fear among the small Catholic community here, who still remember what happened five years ago, when more than 45 Christian churches were attacked and burned in Niger.
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