05-09-2018, 10:43 PM
*** 10-May-18 World View -- Killing of two priests escalates farmer-herder conflict in Benue State, Nigeria
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Killing of two priests escalates farmer-herder conflict in Benue State, Nigeria
****
![[Image: g180509b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g180509b.jpg)
Nigerian Police
A prototypical conflict between herders and farmers in central Nigeria
has suddenly escalated in a sectarian manner with the killing of two
Catholic priests, Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha, and other worshippers
on April 24. The attack occurred in the town of Mbalom, just south of
Makurdi, which is the capital city of Benue State in Nigeria.
I've written many times that many ethnic wars are based on fundamental
clashes between farmer tribes and herder tribes. In country after
country, there a classic and recurring battle between herders and
farmers, I've described in Central African Republic, Nigeria, Rwanda,
Burundi, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, and even America in the 1800s.
The farmers accuse the herders of letting the cattle eat their crops,
while the herders accuse the farmers of planting on land that's meant
for grazing. If the farmers put up fences, then the herders knock
them down.
In Nigeria's Benue State, the herders are mostly Muslims from the
Fulani tribe. Farmers are mostly Christians from a number of tribes,
including the Tiv, Mambila and Bachama tribes. The continuing
tit-for-tat violence between herders and farmers in Benue State has
already killed thousands of people and left tens of thousands
homeless,
So the April 24 murder of the priests and worshippers was immediately
blamed by the public and the media on Muslim Fulani herders, but to
this day there is no solid evidence that the gunmen were Fulanis. In
fact, the assailants took money, valuables and communion wine,
suggesting that the motive was robbery rather than gaining farmland.
Vanguard (Nigeria, 24-Apr) and Anglican News
****
**** News of revenge attacks by farmers criticized as fake news
****
Three days later, a Nigeria newspaper the Daily Trust reported
on revenge attacks by Christian farmers from the Tiv tribe
on ethnic Hausas in the Benue State capital city Makurdi.
A Hausa community leader was quoted as wondering why Tiv farmers would
target Hausa people, since they were not the herders who allegedly
attacked the priests:
<QUOTE>"Last Tuesday, we saw our people running
helter-skelter in the city that they brought the corpses of Church
priests that were killed at Dukwayango village and then suddenly
Tiv youth started attacking our people. As I am talking to you
they have killed over eight people, over 20 sustained injuries and
several shops were razed while over eleven people were missing.
We are not farmers, we don’t rear animals. We are just
traders. These things happened in villages and in the bushes. Why
are Tiv youth killing our people?"<END QUOTE>
The chief Imam of a mosque in Makurdi told the BBC Hausa service that
he personally saw the corpses of 27 victims at the teaching hospital
in Makurdi. He said while many were injured, some were burnt.
However, some community groups are condemning as lies the claims
that Tiv farmers attacked Hausa people in Benue, and say
that the purpose of the lies is to promote sectarian
violence:
<QUOTE>"It is a tissue of lies and falsehood concocted to
profile the Tiv youth in bad light.
We consider the said story as part of the well planned agenda by
our traducers to change the narrative in the state. ... The same
report went on to claim that more than 10 Muslims were killed and
11 others missing in the state as from the reprisals following the
attack on St. Ignatius Quasi Parish in Mbalom. ...
It is completely fake news. The statement by the Police further
said such was nothing but falsehood, believably meant to cause
break down of law and order in the State."<END QUOTE>
All that's really certain is that ethnic violence in central Nigeria,
which has been growing for several years, continues to grow. Daily Trust (Nigeria, 27-Apr) and Independent (Nigeria)
and Guardian (Nigeria)
Related Articles
****
**** Israel, Iran and Syria exchange fire in first direct military confrontation
****
As this is being written on Wednesday evening ET, there is news of
missile and artillery exchanges in Syria and in and around the
Golan Heights, as well as airstrikes by Israel's air force.
Israel has struck Iranian missile depots and other Iranian
military targets in Syria several times in the last few weeks,
promising to prevent Iran and Hezbollah from building up a force
capable of attacking Syria.
For several weeks, Israel has been stepping up its military
forces on the border with Lebanon, in anticipation of a
retaliatory strike on Israel by Iran. That Iranian
attack has apparently happened, and there have been several
hours of artillery exchanges over the Golan Heights that
are continuing at this writing.
The Israeli attacks on Syria have been more intense than they were in
the past. There are reports that the city of Damascus is without
power. At least 20 heavy rockets have been fired from Syria at
Israeli forces, but there are no reports yet of Israeli damage or
casualties. Reuters and Washington Post and AFP and BBC
Related Articles:
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Nigeria, Benue State, Makurdi, Mbalom,
Joseph Gor, Felix Tyolaha, Fulani tribe, Hausa tribe,
Tiv tribe, Mambila tribe, Bachama tribe,
Israel, Iran, Syria, Golan heights, Lebanon
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Killing of two priests escalates farmer-herder conflict in Benue State, Nigeria
- News of revenge attacks by farmers criticized as fake news
- Israel, Iran and Syria exchange fire in first direct military confrontation
****
**** Killing of two priests escalates farmer-herder conflict in Benue State, Nigeria
****
Nigerian Police
A prototypical conflict between herders and farmers in central Nigeria
has suddenly escalated in a sectarian manner with the killing of two
Catholic priests, Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha, and other worshippers
on April 24. The attack occurred in the town of Mbalom, just south of
Makurdi, which is the capital city of Benue State in Nigeria.
I've written many times that many ethnic wars are based on fundamental
clashes between farmer tribes and herder tribes. In country after
country, there a classic and recurring battle between herders and
farmers, I've described in Central African Republic, Nigeria, Rwanda,
Burundi, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, and even America in the 1800s.
The farmers accuse the herders of letting the cattle eat their crops,
while the herders accuse the farmers of planting on land that's meant
for grazing. If the farmers put up fences, then the herders knock
them down.
In Nigeria's Benue State, the herders are mostly Muslims from the
Fulani tribe. Farmers are mostly Christians from a number of tribes,
including the Tiv, Mambila and Bachama tribes. The continuing
tit-for-tat violence between herders and farmers in Benue State has
already killed thousands of people and left tens of thousands
homeless,
So the April 24 murder of the priests and worshippers was immediately
blamed by the public and the media on Muslim Fulani herders, but to
this day there is no solid evidence that the gunmen were Fulanis. In
fact, the assailants took money, valuables and communion wine,
suggesting that the motive was robbery rather than gaining farmland.
Vanguard (Nigeria, 24-Apr) and Anglican News
****
**** News of revenge attacks by farmers criticized as fake news
****
Three days later, a Nigeria newspaper the Daily Trust reported
on revenge attacks by Christian farmers from the Tiv tribe
on ethnic Hausas in the Benue State capital city Makurdi.
A Hausa community leader was quoted as wondering why Tiv farmers would
target Hausa people, since they were not the herders who allegedly
attacked the priests:
<QUOTE>"Last Tuesday, we saw our people running
helter-skelter in the city that they brought the corpses of Church
priests that were killed at Dukwayango village and then suddenly
Tiv youth started attacking our people. As I am talking to you
they have killed over eight people, over 20 sustained injuries and
several shops were razed while over eleven people were missing.
We are not farmers, we don’t rear animals. We are just
traders. These things happened in villages and in the bushes. Why
are Tiv youth killing our people?"<END QUOTE>
The chief Imam of a mosque in Makurdi told the BBC Hausa service that
he personally saw the corpses of 27 victims at the teaching hospital
in Makurdi. He said while many were injured, some were burnt.
However, some community groups are condemning as lies the claims
that Tiv farmers attacked Hausa people in Benue, and say
that the purpose of the lies is to promote sectarian
violence:
<QUOTE>"It is a tissue of lies and falsehood concocted to
profile the Tiv youth in bad light.
We consider the said story as part of the well planned agenda by
our traducers to change the narrative in the state. ... The same
report went on to claim that more than 10 Muslims were killed and
11 others missing in the state as from the reprisals following the
attack on St. Ignatius Quasi Parish in Mbalom. ...
It is completely fake news. The statement by the Police further
said such was nothing but falsehood, believably meant to cause
break down of law and order in the State."<END QUOTE>
All that's really certain is that ethnic violence in central Nigeria,
which has been growing for several years, continues to grow. Daily Trust (Nigeria, 27-Apr) and Independent (Nigeria)
and Guardian (Nigeria)
Related Articles
- Tit-for-tat violence between Nigeria's Muslim herders and Christian farmers becomes more serious (11-Jan-2018)
- Violence in Nigeria grows over clashes between herders and farmers (03-Nov-2017)
- 9-Mar-10 News - Muslims in revenge massacre against Nigeria Christians (09-Mar-2010)
- Clashes in Jos, Nigeria, pit Christians against Muslims (24-Feb-2011)
****
**** Israel, Iran and Syria exchange fire in first direct military confrontation
****
As this is being written on Wednesday evening ET, there is news of
missile and artillery exchanges in Syria and in and around the
Golan Heights, as well as airstrikes by Israel's air force.
Israel has struck Iranian missile depots and other Iranian
military targets in Syria several times in the last few weeks,
promising to prevent Iran and Hezbollah from building up a force
capable of attacking Syria.
For several weeks, Israel has been stepping up its military
forces on the border with Lebanon, in anticipation of a
retaliatory strike on Israel by Iran. That Iranian
attack has apparently happened, and there have been several
hours of artillery exchanges over the Golan Heights that
are continuing at this writing.
The Israeli attacks on Syria have been more intense than they were in
the past. There are reports that the city of Damascus is without
power. At least 20 heavy rockets have been fired from Syria at
Israeli forces, but there are no reports yet of Israeli damage or
casualties. Reuters and Washington Post and AFP and BBC
Related Articles:
- Syrian war escalates sharply, after Israel, Iran, Turkey and Russia all lose aircraft (11-Feb-2018)
- Israel reveals intelligence coup on Iran's nuclear weapons program (03-May-2018)
- Israeli warplanes strike Syrian weapons site, as UN confirms al-Assad's Sarin use (08-Sep-2017)
- Israel's warplanes strike weapons depot inside Syria near Damascus (28-Apr-2017)
- Israel and Syria have unprecedented missile clash over Jordan (19-Mar-2017)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Nigeria, Benue State, Makurdi, Mbalom,
Joseph Gor, Felix Tyolaha, Fulani tribe, Hausa tribe,
Tiv tribe, Mambila tribe, Bachama tribe,
Israel, Iran, Syria, Golan heights, Lebanon
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
