Over 150 Lives Lost in Recent Attacks in Central Nigeria

In the central Nigerian state of Plateau, a weekend marked by a series of attacks has resulted in a tragic death toll of at least 150 people, according to local officials. This region has experienced frequent clashes between herders and farmers, and the recent outbreak of violence is considered the worst since May, when over 100 lives were lost in similar farmer-herder conflicts.

While the Nigerian army initially reported 16 casualties in the recent attacks, Monday Kassah, the acting chairman of Bokkos Local Government Area in Plateau State, provided a more distressing figure. He stated that 150 people had been killed in the well-coordinated assaults that targeted at least 20 different communities over Saturday and Sunday. Additionally, more than 300 individuals were reported as injured in the attacks.

Kassah did not attribute responsibility for the attacks, and a Plateau police spokesperson was unavailable for comment at the time of reporting. The injured victims have been transported to hospitals for medical attention.

Plateau, situated in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, is known for its diverse ethnic and religious makeup, where inter-communal conflicts have claimed numerous lives in recent years. While the violence is often characterized as ethno-religious tensions between Muslim herders and predominantly Christian farmers, underlying factors such as climate change and expanding agriculture also contribute significantly.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned the attacks and called for the identification and prosecution of the perpetrators. Expressing full solidarity with the Nigerian authorities, France emphasizes the urgency of bringing those responsible to justice in the wake of this tragic incident.

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