Terrorism in Nigeria: Christians are in the frontline
The Observatory of Religious Freedom in Africa has published a report covering the period from October 1, 2019, to September 30, 2021. It finds that attacks by armed groups continue to multiply and that they are always more casualties among the civilian population. It also emphasizes 2 phenomena.
The first is that the Christian victims are much more numerous than the others. In 2020, 3163 Christians were killed compared to 1005 Nigerians of another faith. In 2021, these figures are 4303 victims for 1230 victims who are not Christians.
The second is that the attacks are particularly numerous during the agricultural season, which has a greater impact on the lives of the victims and their families than attacks at any other time of the year. The report concludes that
“this discovery reinforces the suspicion that the attackers intended to kill or starve their victims, in particular the Christians of northern Nigeria.”
Due to repeated Islamist attacks in several neighbouring countries, Christians have almost disappeared or fled in large swaths of territory – notably in the east of DR Congo, in the north of Mali or even in Burkina Faso.
Source: Christianophobie.fr
