Religious Violence Threatens Democratic Governance in Nigeria
Morgan Lorraine Roach /
Religious violence in Nigeria is becoming as visible as the government’s inability to control it. On Sunday, ethnic violence ravaged the southern city of Jos. Men armed with machetes wreaked havoc on southern villages in retaliation for the violence that claimed 200 lives in January.
Outbursts of religious violence are not unknown to Nigeria. Riots and violence between Muslims and Christians have claimed over 2,000 lives between September 2001 and 2008. In July 2009, Boko Haram, members of an Islamic extremist sect, launched multiple attacks in Northern Nigerian states that left 700 dead. And in the past few days, at least 370 have died, including a four-day old infant, in the latest round of sectarian violence. The attacks on Sunday are said to be in reprisal for the violence last January where dozens of Muslims were killed in and around Jos.