Peace is the only way in troubled Jos

Nigeria is a nation divided between its predominantly Muslim north and largely Christian south. Sitting almost perfectly in the middle of the two is Plateau State and its capital Jos, where Christians and Muslims are locked in a vicious cycle of attacks and revenge killings.

At least 200 people have been killed in violence since December alone, and Christians and Muslims account for both victims and perpetrators.

On Christmas Eve, bombs were set off in two Christian communities in Jos, sparking a wave of tit-for-tat killings that killed dozens of Muslims and Christians.

Last month, a truce was signed by Plateau State’s feuding communities only to be broken days later with the murder of nine Christians in Kuru, including several children and one elderly woman who was callously beheaded.

While some of the attacks on Christians have been perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen looking to seize property or land, the attack in Kuru and others have been sectarian in nature.

So long as the violence continues, Christians and Muslims will continue to live in a climate of fear, says Fatima T Kyafa, a Christian living in the neighbouring state of Taraba.

“It’s not only the Christians are afraid. Even the Muslims are afraid, because when war is going on everyone sleeps with one eye open because they do not know what will happen to them,” says Fatima, who coordinates a local Christian charity, the Love and Care Foundation Nigeria.

In the short-term, greater protection is urgently needed to halt the killings and keep people safe. The government has stepped up security in the last few months but it still tends to be concentrated in the city and larger townships, while the rural settlements have little security and remain easy targets.

As for the Christians who have attacked and killed Muslims, they are acting in isolation and without the support of the church, says Fatima. The church’s message to its members continues to be a call to live as peacemakers.

“The church is praying and it is looking for a way to end the whole thing because nobody is happy about what is happening,” she says.

“Even the Muslims are not happy about what is happening in Jos because their lives, their property are not safe.”

There has been some interreligious dialogue with Muslims but as the attacks are continuing, the impact has clearly been limited. The real breakthrough, Fatima feels, will not come from the followers but from the leaders – the Christian leaders, the Muslim leaders, and the political leaders – all sitting down at the same table together and working out a plan for peace.

“There is inter-religious dialogue but you soon realise that even if there is inter-religious dialogue how many Muslims go there? How many Christians go there? Maybe a few and then after the meeting nothing is done.

“That can be a way of encouraging the people to come to their senses but the hammer should be on the leaders so that they can the gather the people under them and say ‘killing each other is not good, we are brothers, let us not do this’.

“Because they are a leader, the people will listen to them and from there, peace will come gradually.

“If that is not done then we will continue having problems.”

In spite of the conflict, neither Christians nor Muslims are looking to leave Plateau. Many were born there or have lived in the area for a long time. Their family is there, their businesses are there, and they still see their future as being there.

Even if it takes years, the only way forward is for Muslim leaders, Christian leaders and political leaders to continue working towards peace.

That means holding roundtable discussions and speaking out with one voice against attacks and against violence. There is no alternative, says Fatima.

“The people of Plateau must come to their senses and know that it is not good to have war because war can claim property, it can claim your peace and claim everything that you have laboured for. And for the children, it is not going to be a healthy situation in the future.

“Nobody is prepared to leave so the only thing for the people is to live with one another peacefully and stop the killings, stop the hatred for one another and appreciate one another.

“Finding peace is the only way.”