Yelwa massacre
Template:Short description Template:Use Nigerian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Campaignbox Nigerian Sharia conflict
The Yelwa massacre was a series of related incidents of religious violence between Muslims and Christians which took place in Yelwa, Nigeria between February and May 2004. These incidents killed over 700 people.[1] it occurred on 4 February 2004 when armed Men attacked the Christians of Yelwa, killing more than 78 Christians, including at least 48 who were worshipping inside a church compound.[1] Then on May 2 and 3, large numbers of well-armed Christians surrounded the town of Yelwa and killed around seven hundred Muslims.Yelwa and many surrounding villages suffered massive destruction, and tens of thousands of people were displaced.[2]
The February killings inflamed tensions between the communities which had been growing since the 2001 Jos riots when conflict between Muslims and Christians resulted in 1,000 dead. On 2 May 2004 local Christians responded to the February incident by attacking Muslims in Yelwa, resulting in roughly 700 muslims.[1] According to some sources, Muslim girls were forced to eat pork and other foods forbidden to Muslims and some were even raped.[3]
Background
Thousands of people have died in fighting since the passage of Sharia law in the Muslim-dominated northern region after a return to civilian rule in 1999.[4] The origin of the conflict between the Christian Tarok and the Muslim Fulani is rooted in their competing claims over the fertile farmlands of Plateau State in central Nigeria.[5]
See also
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ a b c "Revenge in the Name of Religion", Human Rights Watch, 26 May 2005.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ "God's Country", The Atlantic March 2008.
- ↑ BBC profile of Nigeria. BBC News (16 May 2013).
- ↑ "Nigerian Muslims struggle to cope after village massacre", The Guardian (8 May 2004).
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
External links
- Eyewitness: Nigeria's 'town of death'
- Nigeria: Prevent Further Bloodshed in Plateau State – Human Rights Watch
Template:Authority control [[Category:Template:Resolve category redirect]]Template:Coord missing/CheckCat
- Pages with script errors
- All articles needing coordinates
- Articles missing coordinates with coordinates on Wikidata
- 2004 murders in Nigeria
- Church massacres in Africa
- Massacres in 2004
- 2000s massacres in Nigeria
- Attacks on churches in Nigeria
- 2004 in Christianity
- 2004 in Islam
- Religiously motivated violence in Nigeria
- 21st century in Kebbi State
- Crime in Kebbi State
- Massacres of Muslims
- Rape in Nigeria
- Violence against women in Nigeria