What is going on in Nigeria?

[Plyco678]

At least 17 people were killed in Mubi in Adamawa state as gunmen opened fire in a town hall where members of the Christian Igbo group were meeting.

There were also reports of a deadly attack in Adamawa's capital, Yola.

The Islamist Boko Haram group said it had carried out the attack in Mubi and another in Gombe on Thursday night in which at least six people died.

The group has staged numerous attacks in northern and central areas in recent months - on Christmas Day it attacked a church near the capital, Abuja, killing dozens of people.

One Boko Haram faction has warned all southerners - who are mostly Christian and animist - to leave the mainly Muslim north of Nigeria.

Adamawa state borders Borno state, where Boko Haram emerged.

Last week President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Yobe and Borno states, as well as Plateau state in central Nigeria and Niger state in the west, following a surge in ethnic and sectarian violence.

But the pace of attacks has increased and he must now consider whether to extend the state of emergency into other states and beef up the military presence in the north in response, says the BBC's Mark Lobel in Lagos.

Meanwhile, the government is also facing the bleak prospect of a general strike in two days' time amid popular fury over its removal of a fuel subsidy which has seen fuel prices double for ordinary Nigerians.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16442960

This is news to me, and I would like to know more about the context of this situation, as I don't really know much about Nigeria or its politics.

[MathiasOfAthens]

Same thats been going on for decades now. Tribe against Tribe action.

[ash874]

Same thats been going on for decades now. Tribe against Tribe action.

no. thats not whats going on

[MathiasOfAthens]

They're just using using religion now as a cover. Deep down it still boils down to tribal conflict.

[ash874]

They're just using using religion now as a cover. Deep down it still boils down to tribal conflict.

if that was the case you would expect randomness as to who attacks who
sometimes it would be christians that attack muslim sometimes muslims would attack muslims
sometimes animists would attack christians sometimes christians would attack animists and so on
i dont think that is the case

[Treize]

if that was the case you would expect randomness as to who attacks who
sometimes it would be christians that attack muslim sometimes muslims would attack muslims
sometimes animists would attack christians sometimes christians would attack animists and so on
i dont think that is the case

Well, that is exactly what is happening.

[MathiasOfAthens]

Yeah I was mistaken. Its primarily a conflict between Nigerians and a group seeking to introduce a strict teaching of Islam over Nigeria. Its religious in nature but the majority of Boko Haram in the North are members of the Ethnic group Hausa which was formidable in the creation of the Islamic Sokoto Caliphate. So although the group is seeking an Islamic Sharia State it is still mainly composed of an Ethnic group in Nigeria.

[Visna]

Tribal, ethnic and religious conflicts, access to water, oil, good farm land, poor governance, rising radical movements etc. Take your pick, really.

[ash874]

Yeah I was mistaken.

first time i read these words in the political mudpit
way to go

[Balian76]

It does seem the violence has been stepped in the last month, and Goodluck Jonathon did declare a state of emergency in some area's.
There has also been reports from South Sudan as many as 3000 killed in clashes this week, not a good start for a new nation.

[sumskilz]

Yeah I was mistaken. Its primarily a conflict between Nigerians and a group seeking to introduce a strict teaching of Islam over Nigeria. Its religious in nature but the majority of Boko Haram in the North are members of the Ethnic group Hausa which was formidable in the creation of the Islamic Sokoto Caliphate. So although the group is seeking an Islamic Sharia State it is still mainly composed of an Ethnic group in Nigeria.

You were right though, that it has a lot to do with Ethnic conflict. Over time, a lot of the violence has been perpetrated by Hausa Muslims against non-Hausa non-Muslims, but there is rarely any conflict between Yoruba Muslims and Yoruba Christians. Yoruba Muslims tend to be hostile toward the Hausa despite sharing the same religion. Most Yoruba, regardless of their religion, participate in traditional Yoruba religious rituals which have been secularized to some extent. The Hausa use this fact to characterize Yoruba Muslims as "pagans".

[Heinz Guderian]

You were right though, that it has a lot to do with Ethnic conflict. Over time, a lot of the violence has been perpetrated by Hausa Muslims against non-Hausa non-Muslims, but there is rarely any conflict between Yoruba Muslims and Yoruba Christians. Yoruba Muslims tend to be hostile toward the Hausa despite sharing the same religion. Most Yoruba, regardless of their religion, participate in traditional Yoruba religious rituals which have been secularized to some extent. The Hausa use this fact to characterize Yoruba Muslims as "pagans".

Thats a pretty nuanced post there and what the Political Mudpit should really be about. I learned something new from this post.

[MathiasOfAthens]

The founder of this org believed Rain was a creation from god... so access to water is plausible as well.

[hellheaven1987]

The religious conflict between Muslim and Christian in Nigeria has been going on since 19th Century...

[Jom]

The most virulent form of violence: sectarian violence.

[justicar5]

oops it's South Sudan where it's christian on Christian, my bad.

[a tw player]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflic...he_Niger_Delta

Have fun

[justicar5]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflic...he_Niger_Delta

Have fun

ahh yes, the best argument against powerful multinationals, I'd almost forgotten that.

[Armenum]

It's called killing each other because "my religion is better than yours"....

[Condottiere 40K]

Whatever is happening in Nigeria, the government had better get it under control now; otherwise, this could escalate into a full scale civil war and disrupt oil production.