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

B90114/2024

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 Rules 144(5) and 132(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the security situation in Nigeria has recently been aggravated by an escalation of religious and ethnic violence, especially in the country’s Middle Belt, where the conflict between farmers and nomadic herders over land and water resources, resulted in an unprecedented death toll since Christmas;

B. whereas, according to Nigerian NGOs 52,000 Christians and 34,000 Muslims have been killed since 2009, and 18,000 churches and 2,200 Christian schools have been burned down; whereas on Christmas eve over 200 Christians were killed in Plateau state after a worrying escalation of farmer-herder conflicts; where jihadi violence against Christians has also led to casualties in other parts of the country;

C. whereas Nigeria’s population, the most numerous in Africa, is very diverse with over 250 ethnicities, and almost equally distributed between Muslims and Christians; whereas the country is home to the region’s largest Christian community, with nearly 30 million Christians living in northern Nigeria;

1. Strongly condemns the attacks perpetrated against Christian communities over Christmas which resulted in an unprecedented number of deaths, injuries and displaced people in the areas of Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Mangu in Plateau State;

2. Reiterates its concern about the worsening security situation in Plateau State and the worrying cycle of violence;

3. Condemns the recent increase in violence against ethnic and religious communities, including the targeting of religious institutions and worshippers;

4. Extends its condolences to the families of the victims, and expresses its solidarity with the Nigerian people;

5. Strongly condemns militant Islamist groups exploiting the conflict, thus further fuelling insecurity; warns against an instrumentalisation of the farmers-herders conflict as a means to spread religion-based hatred;

6. Acknowledges the role of climate change, in the form of droughts and floods in northern Nigeria, in aggravating the farmers-herders conflict, pushing the herders to move south;

7. Welcomes the debate by the Nigerian Parliament on the issue and encourages the government to enhance the security of citizens and communities, to foster dialogue and conflict mediation, and to reassure its commitment to socio-economic recovery;

8. Welcomes the strong EU-Nigeria partnership and calls for further deepening of the relationship, including in the area of security, mediation, and peace-building;

9. Welcomes Nigeria’s condemnation of the Russian aggression against Ukraine in multilateral fora;

10. Welcomes the EU announcement of a EUR 900 million Global Gateway package in October to advance the country’s futureproof green and digital transition in line with the government’s priorities; notes the priority placed by the incoming government on economic diversification and the opportunities this offers to deepen EU-Nigeria relations;

11. Welcomes Nigeria’s assumption of the ECOWAS chairmanship; reiterates the positive role regional integration under ECOWAS plays for peace, stability and prosperity in West Africa;

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