Nigeria: May 20, 2004

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Anti-Christian violence in the northern city of Kano has left over 500 Christians dead, and twelve churches destroyed. The Moslem mobs doing all the dirty work insist they are part of a Jihad (holy war) against non-Moslems in Nigeria. 

Meanwhile, the president has replaced the elected governor of Plateau State with a retired general and ordered the new governor to quell the violence between Christians and Moslems there. This angered the Christians in Plateau State, who see the removal of their governor as a concession to Moslems, who the Christians see as the aggressors. A lot of the religious violence goes back to ancient tribal conflicts between the Fulani tribes, who are largely herders and Moslem, and other tribes who have come into contact with the Fulani, but are farmers and largely Christian. 

Christians are also angry over the use of Islamic law in northern, largely Moslem, states. This religious law is being imposed on non-Moslems, despite protests from the federal government and the non-Moslems involved. There is growing fear of a civil war along religious and tribal lines.

 

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