7
Feb
2024
Watch
Recent attacks on Christmas Eve in Plateau State in Nigeria
Mr President! We are talking today about the horrific incidents that occurred last Christmas in Nigeria, where armed gangs brutally invaded several villages in the state of Plateau and killed numerous people there. And yes, the victims are Christians, and the attackers were Muslim. But to derive a primarily religious conflict from this now would really be more than one-dimensional. We are dealing with a dangerous mix of strong population growth and climate change with increasing desertification and a progressive scarcity of resources. Many nomads were and are forced to move from the north of the country to the south to the settled farmers, where there is fertile land – and this is the root cause of this conflict. Terrorists are abusing this fundamental conflict and heating it up religiously and ideologically. Therefore: We need to address the root causes of the conflict, especially in the Global South, fight climate change and improve people’s lives. This is what this resolution is addressing today, and work on it is urgent.