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Nigeria - Another Rwanda?

Another set of deadly attacks has devastated Jos, a city in Nigeria. Unfortunately, the violence is nothing new in this region, as hundreds of lives have been lost over several bloody riots in 2001, 2008 as well as January 2010. At least 109 people, most of them women and children, have been slaughtered. The violence has risen to an unthinkable degree - many witnesses have described seeing their friends and family be brutally murdered. One man has even said that he had to watch as his 5-year-old granddaughter was hacked to death with a machete. About 200 people have been arrested, with 49 charged with murder.

Witnesses and officials are stating that the attacks seem to be retaliation from the mainly Muslim Fulani community for the violence in January when economic and political tensions resulted in a clash between Muslims and Christians (the city of Jos is divided politically, with the PDP party being largely supported by Christians while the opposing ANPP party is generally made up of Muslims). Of course, it’s easy to distribute the cause of the Jos incident to religious and ethnic tension, but the majority of the problem lies in the corrupt local (and even national) government. Because 80% of Nigeria’s GDP circulates through the local and state government, candidates will usually do anything to get elected – sadly, this means stirring up unnecessary religious and ethnic hatred to cripple the opposing parties.

Just a little aside: Can you believe that Nigeria’s own police minister Ibrahim Lame has called the nation’s force “condemnable and unacceptable”?

Over the past few days as I followed up on what was happening in Jos, Rwanda kept popping into my head. The similarities are there: the ethnic tension, unthinkable violence against the helpless, and the corrupt police force.

And, well, as heartbreaking as it is, I get it. It’s Nigeria, and Africa is still not at a place where it has the power to protect the human rights of all its inhabitants. BUT, if like Rwanda, the international community AGAIN fails to address the problem and prevent future violence, there is something really wrong. The International Criminal Court has been pulled in to investigate the human rights abuses, and I sincerely hope that we will not only deliver justice to perpetrators of the violence but also address the core issue. If international pressure is not placed on the government to ensure a just political system that fosters harmony rather than division, violence will only escalate in Jos.

We must NOT have another Rwanda on our hands. Let’s make sure that the international community knows that its citizens demand justice for Jos – through appeals, letters, what have you. Here are some useful sites where you can find out more information on Jos, and learn about different ways you can have your voice heard:

Human Rights Watch
Amnesty International
Vanguard