More than 200 Christian civilians, including children and elderly people, were killed in a series of coordinated attacks carried out by Islamic terrorists in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria, around the Democracy Day holiday.
The assaults took place between the afternoon of June 11 and the early morning of the 13th of the same month, targeting Christian farming communities located in Plateau and Benue states.
On the night of Tuesday the 11th, just hours before the start of the national holiday, a group of Fulani Islamic terrorists ambushed several Christian farmers in the traditional territory of Rigwe, in Bassa County, Plateau State.
Terroristas islámicos.
According to local reports, four people—including a nine-month-old baby—were killed near the village of Nkiedonwro as they returned from their fields with freshly harvested vegetables.
The victims, identified as Musa Chega (40), Gali (43), Uhwie Emmanuel (25), and his young daughter Mary Emmanuel, were attacked with machetes. Two other villagers suffered serious injuries. The group was reportedly heading to the vegetable market in the city of Jos when they were intercepted.
Two days later, in the early hours of Thursday the 13th, another violent attack took place in Yelwata, a Christian farming community located in Guma County, Benue State, near the border with Nasarawa. The assault, carried out by heavily armed men, lasted from 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. According to community members, the number of people killed could exceed 200.
Cristianos en África.
Among the victims were displaced people who had previously fled attacks in Nasarawa and Benue states and were taking refuge in stalls and closed shops at the Yelwata market. Witnesses stated that the strikers poured gasoline on the structures and set them on fire, causing the deaths of entire families who were inside.
The growing sense of impunity is causing alarm among civil organizations and regional leaders, who accuse the security forces of acting slowly or indifferently.
The most recent victims were mostly Christian farmers who, after being displaced from their ancestral homes, were attacked again while taking refuge in precarious facilities. The attacks occurred during the national commemoration of Democracy Day, a festive day that celebrates the country's return to democratic rule.
