What changed

B90112/2024

B90118/2024

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

having regard to its previous resolutions on Nigeria,

having regard to article 38 of the Constitution of theAfrican FederalCharter Republicon ofHuman Nigeriaand ofPeoples’ 1999,Rights,

having regard to Rule 144 of its Rulesrules of Procedure,procedure,

A. whereas on 24 December 2023, on Christmas2023 Eve,gunmen 150launched peoplea fromlarge-scale Nigeria’sattack centralon Plateaumore Statethan were160 killedvillages in a series of attacksthe byBokkos, gunmenBarkin onLadi motorbikesand identifiedMagu asauthority membersareas of thePlateau localState Muslimin herdernorth-central communities;Nigeria;

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 attacks resulted in 335 deaths, 171 injured, over 409 razed houses, and an estimated 18,275 people displaced; whereas many of the displaced are currently living in temporary camps with limited access to water, sanitation, food, medication, and healthcare including mental health services; whereas women have been disproportionately affected by the displacement crisis;

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 no-one has claimed responsibility for the attacks; whereas in January 2024 around 50 people were killed in further clashes in Mangu in Plateau state, where houses, churches and mosques were burnt down; whereas the security situation in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria is characterised by frequent attacks as a result of ongoing intense conflict marked by religious division between the largely Fulani Muslim herders and Christian farmers;

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;

whereas the underlying elements to the conflict extend far beyond religious differences; whereas the factors fuelling clashes are overlapping and rooted in territorial disputes, ethnic clashes, access to scarce resources, environmental degradation; endemic poverty, social exclusion, and lack of access to basic services, education, and opportunities for stable livelihoods;

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;

Deplores the Christmas Eve attacks and deeply regrets the loss of life;

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;

Urges humanitarian actors including the Commission and EEAS to ensure sufficient resources are allocated to addressing the humanitarian crisis, including providing services for psychological support;

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;

Expresses concern at the rising insecurity across the country; underlines the obligations of the Nigerian authorities to protect lives and livelihoods; urges authorities to invest greater resources to ensure operations undertaken by security forces are conducted with the cooperation and trust of local communities, are effective in protecting the population, and are fully in line with national and international human rights law;

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

Calls on the Nigerian authorities to conduct a thorough and independent investigation of the December attacks and ensure those responsible are held to account in fair trials;

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

Underlines the importance of a comprehensive and integrated approach to ensure EU support holistically addresses security, political, humanitarian and sustainable development needs;

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;

Stresses in particular the need for continued interreligious and intercultural dialogue; urges the Commission and EEAS to continue supporting initiatives bringing together community and religious leaders as well as governmental and non-governmental stakeholders for peacebuilding dialogue; underlines the importance of ensuring woman and young people are fully represented in this process;

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

Instruct its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and the Government and Parliament of Nigeria.

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 Nigerian authorities, the Council, the African Union and the United Nations.