What changed

B90101/2024

B90112/2024

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the recent attacks on Christmas Eve in Plateau State in Nigeria

The European Parliament,

having regard to its previous resolutions on Nigeria,

having regard to article 38 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999,

having regard to Rule 144 of its Rules of Procedure,

whereas coordinated attacks launched between 23 and 26 December in Nigeria's Plateau State, killed nearly 200 people and displaced more than 18.000; whereas another attack on 24 January killed more than 50 people and displaced more than 20.000; whereas the attacks have also resulted in the destruction of homes, farmlands, and economic livelihoods and has caused a significant humanitarian crisis;

A. whereas on 24 December 2023, on Christmas Eve, 150 people from Nigeria’s central Plateau State were killed in a series of attacks by gunmen on motorbikes identified as members of the local Muslim herder communities;

whereas according to the UN, "inter-communal conflicts" in the Plateau state, has claimed hundreds of lives in recent years and have led to the destruction of property and food shortages in the affected communities;

B. whereas these attacks deliberately targeted Christians as they took place on Christmas Eve, clearly attempting to hurt the Christian communities at the heart of their faith;

whereas the clashes in the region have their origins in communal tensions over land between nomadic herders and farmers, but have been exacerbated by the effects of climate change, agricultural expansion and rapid population growth; whereas the situation has been exacerbated by reprisal attacks and a wider criminal network;

C. whereas on 25 January 2024, 30 more people were killed in a series of attacks around Mangu town in Nigeria’s central Plateau State;

whereas Nigeria is the largest economy on the African continent, but despite its vast resources, Nigeria is among the most unequal countries in the world with the largest population living in extreme poverty; whereas this poverty contributes directly to a social, religious and regional division;

D. whereas, between January 2021 and March 2022, more than six thousand Christians have been targeted and massacred in Nigeria by Islamist groups such as Boko Haram;

Strongly condemns the escalating inter-ethnic violence between herders and farmers which has resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries and displaced thousands of people;

E. whereas the narrative propagated by some that climate change is to blame for the current conflict ignores the reality of decades of religious conflicts in the region;

Warns against the instrumentalisation of the conflict for spreading religion-based hatred; recalls that until the 1970s, the coexistence between herdsmen and farmers was peaceful and regrets that the current violence, which is about access to land, and the disappearance of effective mediation schemes, is being depicted as a religious conflict, wrongly and dangerously simplifying the issue;

F. whereas, according to the Dutch NGO Open Doors International, more than 360 million Christians faced high levels of persecution, harassment or discriminations in the world in 2023; whereas, of those, 5000 have been killed and 5000 more imprisoned due to their faith; whereas these numbers have been rising continuously for years; whereas this alarming situation calls for a firm reaction by the international community;

Calls on the Nigerian authorities, to put in place measures to ensure civilian protection and to create safeguards so security forces responding the violence do not commit more abuse;

1. Extends its deepest sympathy to the victims of these barbaric attacks and its condolences to the families of the victims; expresses its indignation at these gruesome attacks towards innocent people;

Demands the Nigerian authorities to take meaningful steps to address the underlying root causes and ensure non-repetition of this violence, promoting dialogue and understanding between diverse communities and peaceful coexistence;

2. Condemns in the strongest terms all attacks on Christian communities across Nigeria and the world;

Calls to the Nigerian authorities to conduct prompt, impartial and effective investigations in order to identify, prosecute and punish those responsible for the violence, and ensure that victims have access to effective remedies and full reparation;

3. Strongly condemns the atrocious acts of jihadist organizations, such as Boko Haram, responsible of mass-killings and the destabilization of Nigeria;

Urges donors to increase their humanitarian aid by providing adequate relief, including protection, shelter, food and health care;

4. Underlines that these heinous acts were all preventable; regrets that, even though the assailants sent menace letters to the targeted villages, warning them of impending attacks against them, protection was not provided;

Condemns the impact that the climate crisis and the historical plundering of natural resources are having on the African continent; reiterates that announcements of green transitions, are insufficient without prior redistribution of wealth, as the cost of the transition will fall mainly on the poorest countries and the poorest parts of societies; ;

5. Calls on the Nigerian authorities to guarantee freedom of religion and the security of all citizens regardless of their faith;

Urges the European Union to reach climate neutrality by 2040, while ensuring that the transition is just and inclusive, without leaving no one behind;

6. Observes that this religion-motivated violence overlaps on millennia-old conflict schemes opposing tribes of herders and farmers in the South Sahel region, both sides having adopted different religions as an addition to their ancient differences in way of life; underlines that this complex structural religious and civilizational confrontation cannot be explained or justified by climate change;

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the EUNigerian institutions,authorities, Memberthe States,Council, the African Union and the NigerianUnited authorities.Nations.