Posted on 05/31/2005 8:04:41 AM PDT by Alex Marko
The outbreak of violence in three Nigerian states has prompted fears that militants may be stepping up their terror campaign against Christians.
Militias are once again active in the central state of Plateau and Borno to the north-east, attacking homes and making threats against Christians. Their targets are, in many cases, villagers who are returning home after being driven out by extremist violence in the past few years.
RI sources suspect that a concerted campaign to impose Sharia law across the whole of northern Nigeria may be gathering fresh momentum.
In Wase, in southern Plateau State, RI workers report that militants torched three homes while their owners were out working in the fields. The owners are believed to have been among the 500 returnees who have ventured back to Wase where RI has been rebuilding homes damaged since 2001. According to church sources, 5,000 people have been killed, 88 villages destroyed and up to 100,000 people driven from their homes in Wase alone.
RI’s Nigeria representative in Wase, who cannot be named for security reasons, says that militants involved in earlier raids have been sighted again. ‘And they have more sophisticated weapons than last time,’ he says. These militants are believed to be supported by jihadists from Chad and Niger.
And in Borno State a militia group calling itself ‘the Taliban’ has issued threats of an imminent attack against Christians who are beginning to return to their settlement in Wa’a in the Mandara Hills. The militants, also known as the Sunna Wal Jamma group, have been attacking communities in the north-east since 2003.
RI’s Nigeria representative in Wase believes that the extremists will not rest until they have driven out all the returning Christians once again. ‘The militants plan to terrorise [Christians] so they can take over the area. They do everything possible to convert people, but the only language they know is the language of attack. It is their desire to take over the whole of the North and impose Sharia (Islamic) law.’
Meanwhile, in Benue state, Islamist militants reportedly attacked the villages of Chilakera and Imbufu, killing 17 people - 14 of whom were Christians. The attacks followed violent clashes between Christians and Muslims after a Christian student was raped and murdered by two Muslim men.
Pray for Christians in Plateau, Borno and Benue, many of whom are living in fear of their lives. Ask God to protect RI workers in the volatile Wase area as they try to help people rebuild their lives, amid rising tensions. Pray against the very real possibility of further outbreaks of serious violence, particularly in Wa’a, Borno state. Pray that the central government of Nigeria would act now to crack down on extremist activity.
Apparently "militant" is a synonym/euphemism for "Muslim".
Instead of "militants", how about "islamofascist butchers"?
Muslime Mudering Jihadist Religion of Peace Militia Bump.
But no mention of Bible damage.
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