“Rid all iniquity, and repent and live.”
[May.21.2023] Eighty-five people have died and more than 3,000 have been displaced in bloody clashes between herdsmen and peasant tribes in Nigeria, local officials said on the 18th (local time). According to AFP, bloody clashes broke out in several villages in central Plateau on the 15th, and a local official said: “85 bodies were recovered”.
According to Nigeria’s National Disaster Management Agency, these violent clashes left thousands displaced and hundreds of homes destroyed. “A total of 3,683 affected people are in need of emergency relief,” said Eugene Nealon, regional officer for the National Disaster Management Agency, adding that more than 720 homes were partially or completely destroyed.
In Plateau State, the central highlands of Nigeria, bloody conflicts between tribes such as the herdsmen Fulani and agricultural Berom tribes over pasture lands and farmlands, which are the foundation of livelihood, have been going on for a long time.
Thousands of people have lost their lives over the past few decades as religious, racial and political issues are also intertwined. The Fulani are predominantly Muslims, while the Berom are Christians. In recent years, conflicts between nomads and peasant tribes have often escalated into village raids by heavily armed gangs, AFP reported.
Violence, which briefly subsided following the February presidential and governor’s elections in March, has recently been on the rise across Nigeria, the news agency added. On the 16th, two US embassy vehicles carrying 5 local employees and 4 police officers were attacked in Anambra State, southeast Nigeria and 4 locals were killed. (Source: Yonhap News)
Rid yourselves of all the offences you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live! (Ezekiel 18:31-32)
God, shine the light of the gospel on Nigeria, where countless people continue to lose their livelihoods and lives due to bloody conflicts between tribes. May they repent of their evil deeds of killing and stealing each other for irreconcilable reasons such as religion, race, politics, and livelihood. Pray that they would turn from their sins whose end is death. May the gospel of the cross that can change anger and conflict into forgiveness and harmony covers Nigeria. May You heal & renew the hearts & spirits of the people and bring reconciliation to the tribes through the cross of Jesus Christ.
Prayer 24·365
prayer@prayer24365.org
