“Until we cut off the supply in terms of sponsorship, we may never be able to see the end of this,” Mutfwang said.
THIS INDEED HAS BEEN A GORY CHRISTMAS FOR US”
We have had to celebrate Christmas with a heavy heart.
Unprovokeded attacks were unleashed on several of our communities.
Most of the communities attacked in Barkin Ladi share Borders with Bokkos Local Government.
We have not less… pic.twitter.com/6d0IXNZd2B
— Caleb Mutfwang (@CalebMutfwang) December 26, 2023
Sean Nelson, a religious-rights attorney with the law firm Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), told CNA that “whole villages” were razed and hundreds more Christians are now displaced because of the attacks, which he said were motivated by the Fulani tribe’s “hatred of Christians” and “desire to take land.”
Nelson, who closely follows developments in Nigeria for ADF, joined in the demand for the Nigerian government to take immediate action, saying that it must do more than just voice support for the victims.
“The scale of this attack is shocking,” Nelson said. “If no real actions are taken after these attacks this Christmas, it can only be deliberate indifference to the lives of these Christian communities.”
Nelson said that the Fulani have been “launching attacks on Plateau and Middle Belt communities for years” but that their attacks have significantly increased this past year.
“It is indescribable the grief that these Christian communities have gone through this past year. The president of Nigeria has directed law enforcement to find and prosecute the attackers, but we have heard similar statements before, with little action taken afterward,” he said. “This time must be different.”
Peter Pinedo is a DC Correspondent for CNA. A graduate of Franciscan University, Peter previously worked for Texas Right to Life. He is a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve.
