2023 Mangu violence

Last updated
2023 Mangu violence
Part of Herder-farmer conflicts in Nigeria
Location Mangu LGA, Plateau State, Nigeria
DateMay 15-16, 2023
Deaths200+ civilians killed (per local activists)
130+ civilians killed (per government officials and Christian Association of Nigeria)
PerpetratorFulani herdsmen

From 15 to 16 May 2023 over one hundred people were killed in an attack by Fulani herders against villagers in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria.

Contents

Background

Fighting between (mostly Christian) farmers and Fulani herders in Central and North-West Nigeria over access to resources has been going on for several decades. Most of the violence takes place in the form of attacks on villages by Fulani herders, sometimes as reprisals for attacks by anti-Fulani vigilantes. The government response to the conflict has been largely inefficient and few arrests have been made. In recent years the security crisis has grown worse as the death toll increases and violence becomes more common. [1] [2] Prior to the conflict a farmer had let his cattle destroy a Fulani man's banana plantation which locals claimed was the trigger for the attack. [3]

Attacks

The conflict started at 2:00 AM local time on 15 May 2023, when huge numbers of Fulani gunmen attacked and burned multiple villages, including Kubwat and Fungzai where 28 and 9 people were reportedly killed, respectively. [4] Women and children were said to be among the dead. Houses and crops were set ablaze as assailants attacked villagers using guns and machetes. [3] [5]

The Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, condemned the massacre and promised to arrest the perpetrators. The local government declared a 24-hour curfew, [4] but locals criticized the curfew as ineffective. [6] On 18 May local authorities told the Associated Press at least 80 people had died, and that they had arrested at least 7 suspects. [3] [7]

On 17 May, House of Representatives member for Mangu LGA Solomon Maren said that "over 100 persons, most of them women and children" had died over the past two days and that widespread destruction of homes and crops had occurred. Maren criticized the Buhari administration for failing to prevent such attacks. [8] [9]

On 22 May, the Christian Association of Nigeria said that over the past week "about 130 people were killed, about 1,000 buildings burnt, and about 22 villages affected." Archbishop and president of the CAN Daniel Okoh deplored the massacre and called for an end to the violence. [10] Activist Joseph Gwankat, head of the Mwaghavul Development Association, estimated the death toll to be more than 200, adding that 20,000 people are believed to have been displaced. The fighting also cut off access to certain villages. [11] Gwankat said that at least 125 bodies had been buried. [12]

Aftermath

On 21 May, Fulani militias passed by the town of Daika in Panyam District on motorcycles. The militants opened fire on a group of young men, killing four. [10]

On 25 May, church leaders led a group of around 250 protesters in Jos, urging the government to take action. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plateau State</span> State of Nigeria

Plateau State is a north central Nigerian state. It is located near the centre of Nigeria and includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau. Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and Tourism". The state has a population of around 4.7 million people. Its capital city is Jos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Jos riots</span> Ethno-religious conflict in central Nigeria

The 2010 Jos riots were clashes between Muslim and Christian ethnic groups in central Nigeria in and near the city of Jos. The first spate of violence of 2010 started on 17 January in Jos and spread to surrounding communities. Houses, churches, mosques and vehicles were set ablaze, during at least four days of fighting. At least 326 people, and possibly more than a thousand, were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">June 2014 Kaduna and Abuja attacks</span>

Between 23 and 25 June 2014, a series of attacks occurred in central Nigeria. On 23–24 June, gunmen attacked a number of villages in Kaduna State, killing around 150 people. The attack was blamed on Fulani tribesmen. On 25 June 2014, a bomb exploded at the Emab Plaza in the national capital of Abuja, killing at least 21 people. In response to the bombing, the Nigerian military raided two militants camps on 26 June, killing more than 100 people.

Herder–farmer conflicts in Nigeria are a series of disputes over arable land resources across Nigeria between the mostly-Muslim Fulani herders and the mostly-Christian non-Fulani farmers. The conflicts have been especially prominent in the Middle Belt since the return of democracy in 1999. More recently, they have deteriorated into attacks on farmers by Fulani herdsmen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Kaduna State massacre</span> 2019 terrorist attack in Nigeria

On February 10–11, 2019, 141 people were killed in the Kajuru LGA of the Nigerian state of Kaduna according to the state governor, hours before the Nigerian general election. The dead included 11 Adara people and 130 Fulani. However the Fulani group Miyetti Allah was reported to have published a list of 131 Fulani who had died and it also stated that the bodies of 66 Fulani were recovered while the bodies of 65 other Fulani remained missing. An attack by suspected Fulani gunmen on Ungwar Bardi killed 11 Adara people. An Adara militia in turn attacked Fulani settlements. Miyetti Allah later clarified 66 were buried in graves and 65 remained missing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogossagou massacre</span> Attacks against Fulani herders in central Mali

On March 23, 2019, several attacks by gunmen killed a reported 160 Fulani herders in central Mali. The violence came in the aftermath of the Malian government cracking down on Islamic terror cells in the country. Two villages, Ogossagou and Welingara, were particularly affected.

On 10 June 2019, the Dogon village of Sobane Da in Mali was attacked. Moulaye Guindo, mayor of neighbouring Bankass, blamed a Fulani militia group. The attack killed 35 people, revised from an earlier claim of 95 killed with 19 missing. A survivor said the attackers numbered about 50, driving motorbikes and pickup trucks. The government of Mali has suspected that terrorists have committed the attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria</span> Conflict in Nigeria (2021–present)

The insurgency in Southeastern Nigeria is a military conflict that broke out in the city of Orlu, Imo State, Nigeria on 16 January 2021, when the Nigerian Army moved to crush the paramilitary wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the Eastern Security Network (ESN). The conflict escalated after the ESN managed to repulse the initial push by the Nigerian Army, but IPOB ended the initial crisis by unilaterally withdrawing the ESN from Orlu. After a few weeks of quiet, Nigeria launched a military offensive in the area to destroy the ESN. On 19 February 2021, IPOB declared that as of the day before, a state of war existed between Nigeria and Biafra. Three weeks later, another separatist group declared the formation of a Biafran interim government which was subsequently endorsed by IPOB. Since then, the Biafran separatists have begun to form alliances with other separatist groups in Nigeria and Cameroon. Despite these developments, the separatists claimed that their militant operations were mainly aimed at defending local communities from armed herders and bandits instead of fighting the Nigerian government. In late June, IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu was arrested by Interpol and handed over to Nigerian authorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigerian bandit conflict</span> Conflict between gangs and the Nigerian government

The bandit conflict in northwest Nigeria is an ongoing conflict between the country's federal government and various gangs and ethnic militias. Starting in 2011, the insecurity remaining from the conflict between the Fulani and Hausa ethnic groups quickly allowed other criminal and jihadist elements to form in the region.

The 2023 Plateau State gubernatorial election will take place on 18 March 2023, to elect the Governor of Plateau State, concurrent with elections to the Plateau State House of Assembly as well as twenty-seven other gubernatorial elections and elections to all other state houses of assembly. The election—which was postponed from its original 11 March date—will be held three weeks after the presidential election and National Assembly elections. Incumbent APC Governor Simon Lalong is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third term.

Events in the year 2022 in Nigeria.

From 4 to 6 January 2022, over 200 people were killed by bandits in Zamfara State, Nigeria in a series of massacres. This was the deadliest terrorist attack in recent Nigerian history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Plateau State massacres</span> Mass murder and kidnapping in Nigeria

On 10 April 2022, a gang of bandits killed more than 150 people in a series of attacks in Plateau State, Nigeria. The attacks are linked to the ongoing Nigerian bandit conflict. About 70 people were also kidnapped in the attacks.

Events in the year 2023 in Nigeria.

On April 12, 2022, armed herdsmen attacked several villages in Benue State, Nigeria, killing over 25 people and injuring many more.

Between December 19 and 25, 2022, several villages in Kagoro, Kaduna State, Nigeria were attacked by unknown groups, who killed over 46 people in two attacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Plateau State massacres</span> Mass murders in Nigeria, 23–25 December 2023

A series of armed attacks occurred between 23 and 25 December 2023 in Plateau State in central Nigeria. They affected at least 17 rural communities in the Nigerian local government areas of Bokkos and Barkin Ladi, resulting in at least 200 deaths and injuries to more than 500 people as well as significant property damage. Although no group claimed responsibility for the attacks, they are believed to have been committed by Fulani militias.

On March 11, 2023, armed bandits attacked the village of Ungwan Wakili in Zangon Kataf LGA, Kaduna State, Nigeria, killing seventeen people.

On June 7, 2021, suspected Fulani herdsmen attacked the village of Odugbeho, Agatu LGA, Benue State, Nigeria, killing at least forty people.

References

  1. ↑ "Gunmen Kill 29 Villagers in Latest Attack in Hard-hit North Nigeria". VOA. 2023-05-16. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  2. ↑ "Death toll in north Nigeria attack tops 80; 7 suspects arrested". Associated Press. 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  3. 1 2 3 "At least 80 people were killed in an attack in northern Nigeria. Police arrested 7 suspects". AP NEWS. 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  4. 1 2 Abimaje, Achor (2023-05-17). "Plateau Imposes Curfew In Mangu As Gunmen Kill 37" . Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  5. ↑ "Plateau attack: Lalong order security to find and arrest attackers wey kill at least 83 for Kubat community". BBC News Pidgin. 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  6. ↑ Garba, Mahdi (2023-05-17). "Villagers Chased From Their Homes By Midnight Attack In Nigeria's Plateau State". HumAngle. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  7. ↑ "CNA Freelancer Recounts 'Horrifying Experience' of Witnessing Nigeria Firefight". NCR. 2023-05-27. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  8. ↑ Majeed, Bakare (2023-05-17). "Over 100 killed in Plateau in 48 hours — Lawmaker raises alarm". Premium Times Nigeria. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  9. ↑ Tauna, Amos (2023-05-18). "Terrorists killed over 200 persons in Mangu/Bokkos Federal Constituency - Plateau lawmaker, Marren". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  10. 1 2 Jannamike, Lumionus; Nanlong, Maria-Therese (23 May 2023). "Plateau killings: Death toll hits 130 as CAN warns against reprisal". Vanguard . Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  11. ↑ Garba, Mahdi (2023-05-24). "'Hundreds Killed' In Attacks On Villages In Nigeria's Plateau". HumAngle. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  12. ↑ Lifted, Opalim (2023-05-20). "Mangu: Tension continues to rise over killings in Plateau community". www.chronicle.ng. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
  13. ↑ "Protest Rocks Plateau Community Over Incessant Attacks, Killing Of 'Over 100 People By Terrorists In Two Days' | Sahara Reporters". saharareporters.com. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
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