Fulani militants have launched their most dangerous attack in Benue State, Nigeria, with many men, women and youngsters burned in their very own homes.
The full scale of the attack is yet to be fully determined, nevertheless it has been confirmed that not less than 100 people died within the attack, although the actual figure could possibly be double that.
The militants attacked a mission site that was getting used as a shelter by internally displaced individuals (IDPs), those that have already been forced from their homes by previous attacks. Exact figures are hard to come back by, with different sources putting the variety of IDPs at the location at anywhere from 400 to 700.
The attack began at around 10pm on 13 June, nevertheless it was initially foiled by Nigerian security forces, who’ve often been criticised for his or her failure to stop attacks, even when advance warning is given.
However, after their attack on the mission site failed, the militants turned their attention to the market, burning buildings and killing and mutilating any of their path. Catholic clergy on the bottom said that the Nigerian police lacked sufficient equipment to stop the militants from attacking the market.
Witnesses claim that the attackers used the Islamic “Allahu Akbar” chant.
While unusual for its scale, Fulani attacks are all too common in that a part of Nigeria. Already this month a variety of farmers have been killed in smaller attacks. Priests and other clergy have been kidnapped.
Attacks might be particularly vicious during Christian festivals like Easter and Christmas, with churches often being targeted.
It is estimated that since 2011, over 5,700 people have been killed within the endemic violence and 150,000 have grow to be IDPs.
Reverend Yunusa Nmadu, CEO of Christian Solidarity Worldwide in Nigeria said, “It’s unlucky that Benue, once touted because the food basket of the nation, is grappling with hunger as a consequence of the lack of its people to till their farms.
“I urge the federal government to, as a matter of urgency, move from mere rhetoric and perfunctory condemnation to a sincere, committed, and single-minded determination to halt the killings not only in Benue but in other states across the nation, that are bleeding from the menace of armed herdsmen.”
On Sunday, Pope Leo XIV said that he was praying for individuals who had been killed in what he called “a terrible massacre”.
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