Author: Dr. Rich Quinlan
December 26, 2024
Can a genocide ever truly be “silent”? This certainly seems to be the case in Nigeria, where Christian communities have been targeted for systematic murder that constitutes genocide for over a decade. The greater tragedy is that these attacks have largely been ignored. While the fighting in Ukraine and Gaza dominates global headlines, it is difficult to imagine that Nigeria will receive the attention it so rightfully deserves to protect these marginalized and vulnerable communities. The clashes are between Christians and Islamic groups, including many Fulani Herdsmen and the terrorist group Boko Haram. Nations, the United States among them, have publicly recognized this genocide. However, they have not dedicated any action to bringing this horrific slaughter to an end. The idea that tens of thousands have been murdered without any repercussions for the perpetrators is appalling. World leaders should be held accountable for their silence, which is equal to complicity.
Violence in Nigeria garnered international attention when Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls. The action shocked the world and inspired the #bringbackourgirls social media campaign. However, as events go, the story of the Chibok schoolgirls faded. Ten years later, the fate of more than eighty of the girls is still unknown. This extraordinary act of horrific terror made the group Boko Haram an international name in terrorism and shined a bright light upon the sectarian violence that plagued Nigeria.
A key component in the publicity and elevation of global awareness of the current atrocity against Christians is the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, or Intersociety, a non-governmental organization founded in 2008. This group has been a leading proponent of alerting the world to how Christians have been systematically and ruthlessly slaughtered by Islamic terror groups while the Nigerian government has chosen to look away. Many of these attacks have been particularly brazen, with The Open Doors - an organization charting global Christian persecution - noting that roughly 140 Nigerians were shot or mutilated with machetes on Christmas Eve in 2023, continuing what has been labeled a “silent genocide” against Christians.
Crimes so heinous cannot be allowed to go unpunished. The lack of focus on the actions within the West African nation only embolden the killers and will perpetuate more horrors. Nigeria is a profoundly religious nation, with 94% of Christian Nigerians noting that they attend weekly mass, and the violence they have endured has not reduced the strength of their faith. Mass attendance remains high even in the face of overwhelming brutality. According to The Open Doors, more than 5,600 Christians were murdered in 2023, and 90% of the number were Nigerians. It is a testament to the strength and resolve of the Nigerian people to maintain such strength in the face of atrocities, but good faith and courage will not stop the killing. The international community, led by the United States, a nation founded on the principle of religious freedom, must be the leader in confronting the nightmare lived by Christian Nigerians every day. England, Nigeria’s former colonizer has been reticent as well concerning this tragedy. Lord David Alton of Liverpool is among very few British voices to speak publicly on the matter. Alton asked in January of 2024, “Who is being brought to justice for the further 200 killings in Plateau State in Nigeria just two weeks ago, over Christmas?” Alton, a former Liberal Democrat member of Parliament currently serves as a member of Westminster’s Joint Committee on Human Rights. Comments like Alton’s are commendable and appreciated, but they must translate into tangible actions by nations such as the UK and U.S.
The influence of the United States has been thrown into chaos with the recent re-election of failed businessman and former game show host Donald Trump. Convicted of 34 felonies, Trump infamously referred to Africa as a collection of “s**thole countries”, so one would imagine that the tragedy in Nigeria will not be at the top of his concerns. As he moves American policy towards greater isolationism, the U.S. appears poised to join the rest of the international community in its collective silence. In December 2020, the U.S. Under Secretary of the State Department, Mike Pompeo, announced Nigeria as a CPC or “Country of Particular Concern”, but unfortunately this designation came as the first Trump presidency was concluding. Sadly, and inexplicably, the Biden administration has set a precedent for the new regime to follow; when the U.S. Department of State offered its report on religious freedom the following year, the strife in Nigeria was not mentioned. This is a terrible breach of moral responsibility which defies the image the U.S. perpetuates. Rather than acting as a beacon of morality and touting the dignity of all people, the United States government shut its eyes and silenced its voice. President Biden even ignored a resolution from the House Foreign Affairs committee for immediate involvement in Nigeria. This too, fell upon deaf ears and it will likely be tabled and forgotten about as a new Congressional session begins in January. One can draw a historical parallel to the quandary failed by European Jews in the 1930s and 40s, when the U.S. closed its borders to those fleeing terrifying oppression and organized government sanctioned violence.
The wealth and prominence of a nation experiencing genocide should never dictate the attention it receives, but Nigeria is the wealthiest nation in West Africa with an extraordinary history of contributions to African artistic culture; therefore, one must ponder why it is omitted from discussions about religious persecution, when Ukraine continues to receive billions in aid, along with Israel. The lack of condemnation by any nation of distinction has allowed for the escalation of these killings, with 2023 as the deadliest year in recent Nigerian history. A shift in Nigerian leadership with the election of Bola Ahmed Tinubu has not quelled the disappearances, torture, and murders either. Genocide Watch traced the killing of Christians back to 2000 and noted that over 62,000 Christians have been murdered by Islamist forces with the tacit (implied) compliance of the government.
The killing of Christians in Nigeria is one of the greatest collective failures of the international community in recent decades; it is now imperative that nations of influence act to stop this protracted genocide. The actions of Boko Haram in particular must be stopped. The United States aided the Somali government in their fight against terrorist group Al-Shabaab, and the nation has made significant gains against them. This is evidence that such support can have a positive impact and save the lives of civilians and marginalized groups. The suffering of Nigerian Christians must be made a global concern; to do anything less than intervening is an unforgivable crime against those who continue to suffer for the sole reason that they are Christian.
Glossary
Atrocity: A shockingly bad or atrocious act, object, or situation.
Brazen: Marked by shameless or disrespectful boldness.
Complicity: Association or participation in or as if in a wrongful act.
Culpability: Responsibility for wrongdoing or failure.
Genocide: Refers to certain acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. Genocide is an international crime, according to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948).
Heinous: Hatefully or shockingly evil.
Isolationism: A policy of national isolation by abstention from alliances and other international political and economic relations.
Marginalized: To relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group.
Oppression: Unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power.
Perpetrate: To bring about or carry out (something, such as a crime or deception).
Persecute: To harass or punish in a manner designed to injure, grieve, or afflict specifically to cause to suffer because of belief.
Proponent: One who argues in favor of something.
Protract: To prolong in time or space.
Quandary: A state of perplexity or doubt.
Repercussion: An action or effect given in return; a reciprocal action or effect.
Sectarian: Of or relating to a sect; limited in character or scope.
Strife: Bitter, sometimes violent conflict.
Systematic: Methodical in procedure or plan.
Tacit: Expressed or carried on without words or speech.