AFRICA/NIGERIA – Protest Rally: Priests from the Dioceses of Wukari and Jalingo denounce violence in Taraba State

Abuja – “So far, more than 80 people have been killed, many more injured, over 200 communities and churches destroyed, and more than 90,000 Christians have been forced to leave their homes,” denounced Father James Yaro, Apostolic Vicar of Wukari, who led the protest march of priests from the dioceses of Wukari and Jalingo yesterday, February 12, in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State in eastern Nigeria.
The marchers demanded immediate government intervention to stop the wave of murders, kidnappings, and destruction affecting rural Christian communities, especially the Tiv people in southern Taraba, where, according to Father Yaro, “a genocide against Christians” is taking place. According to the organizers of the protest, the attacks are concentrated in the local government districts of Takum, Donga, and Ussa. The attacks are carried out by Fulani militias, who typically strike at night, killing anyone in their path and looting and burning homes and churches.
In this way, according to Father Yaro, “the Fulani militias have managed to take control of the farms of Christian families and have now begun harvesting the agricultural produce of the displaced communities and feeding it to their animals.” “They have also committed countless atrocities, including rape, and sometimes they block roads and kill innocent farmers,” reports the Apostolic Vicar. Father Yaro calls for “an adequate number of security personnel to be urgently mobilized and deployed inland, where this carnage continues unabated.” “The government must work at all levels to ensure security and bring the accomplices and perpetrators of these heinous crimes against humanity to justice, regardless of their ethnic, political, or religious affiliation.”
The Apostolic Vicar of Wukari also addresses the plight of internally displaced persons, which “requires immediate intervention by the government, humanitarian organizations, non-governmental organizations, and people of goodwill.” “Among the most urgent needs of the displaced are food, bedding, hygiene items, medical supplies, and temporary tents to prevent a severe humanitarian catastrophe,” the Apostolic Vicar states. Father Yaro concludes with a call for dialogue to end the violence. “It is appropriate,” he says, “for the key stakeholders, such as traditional chiefs, religious leaders, security forces, local government officials, and politicians of the affected region, to meet and sincerely commit to constructive dialogue to promote lasting peace and stability in the southern Taraba region.”

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