On the recent attacks on Christmas Eve in Plateau State in Nigeria

B90101/2024

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

(2024/2552(RSP))

The European Parliament,

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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;

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

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; ;

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

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the EU institutions, Member States, and the Nigerian authorities.