Release International

At least 13 were killed during a series of raids on remote villages in Plateau state – as religious tensions erupted into street violence in several towns.

Release partners have confirmed that armed attacks were made on several villages in the Barkin Ladi and Riyom areas of Plateau, central Nigeria, on Monday. Hardest hit was Wereng village in Riyom where 13 people died, mainly women and children. The BBC reports that victims bore machete and gunshot wounds.

Religious rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has alleged possible military collusion in the attack. It reports eyewitnesses saying that the attackers included men in military uniform and says that Wereng villagers had found ID papers and a bank book belonging to a member of the Joint Task Force charged with peace-keeping in Plateau.

These attacks occurred against a backdrop of mounting tensions between Christians and Muslims in Plateau and particularly its capital, Jos. The already charged atmosphere was aggravated by bomb attacks in Christian districts of Jos on Christmas Eve (Prayer Alert, December 29, 2010) and a recent attack on a vehicle in Jos in which seven Muslim passengers died.

At least 11 people died in clashes on the streets of the state capital last weekend, according to the BBC. Jos was described as a 'ghost town' this week as residents stayed in their homes for fear of further violence, and banks, schools and shops remained shut. The Government has reportedly drafted in 1,500 extra police in a bid to contain the violence.

CSW reports that violence spread over the weekend to other towns south of Jos such as Anglo Jos and Bukuru.

(Sources: Agence France-Presse, BBC, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Stefanos Foundation)

• Pray for survivors and the bereaved in the villages in Plateau attacked this week. Pray too for Release partners trying to offer support and comfort.
• Pray for order and peace to be restored to this region. Pray particularly that lack of confidence in security forces will not tempt Christians to retaliate.

Update:
Christians in Egypt report that services celebrating the Coptic Christmas on January 6-7 passed without incident, amid tight security. Moderate Muslims are reported to have turned out in their thousands to attend Coptic services and hold vigils outside churches, offering themselves as 'human shields' in the name of religious tolerance.

On Tuesday, however, a Christian man was shot dead and six other Christians were injured on a train in Minya province, south of Cairo. Their attacker reportedly shouted an Islamic slogan before firing.

Continue to pray God's peace and protection over Coptic Christians in Egypt. Thank God for the show of support from so many moderate Muslims – and pray that their calls for religious tolerance and freedom will have an impact. (Sources: Middle East Concern, VOM Canada, Watani)

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