Help our local partners realise their vision of hope for their communities
9 February 2018
Baroness Cox has released a Briefing Report today addressing the ongoing attacks against the Christian community in Northern Nigeria. HART shares Baroness Cox’s concerns as we work closely with our partners and communities in Northern Nigeria.
Following a report the Baroness released in November 2016 titled ‘An Insurgency of Terror: The Crisis facing Christians in Nigeria’, this brief acts as an update in light of recent events. In December 2017, the Nigerian Air Force orchestrated strikes against civilians in the North, who were simultaneously being attacked by the Islamist Fulani Herdsmen.
In December 2017, dozens of Christians in Northern Nigeria were killed by Nigerian Government air attacks. Witnesses described helicopters and jets bombing houses and targeting civilians. The air raids took place as villagers were also being attacked by Islamist Fulani herdsmen. According to human rights group Amnesty International, 86 people were killed, with many more seriously injured. They spoke to 15 witnesses, concluding:
“As the herdsmen shot people and torched homes, and the air raid resulted in fire, it was not possible to establish how much of the death and destruction was a direct result of the air attacks or attributable to the attack by herdsmen.
“Witnesses involved in the identification and burial of the victims said that 51 had gunshot or machete wounds, while the remaining 35 died as a result of the airstrikes.”
Read the full briefing report: Baroness Cox Nigeria Briefing Report – Feb 2018
Read the 2016 report: An Insurgency of Terror – Report Nov 2016