Posted: March 10, 2010

Longstanding religious and political tensions in Nigeria erupted into bloodshed this month, marking the latest in a series of clashes between Muslims and Christians that have claimed the lives of hundreds of people this year.

USIP’s David Smock answers some questions related to the recent developments in Nigeria and its stability.

Additionally, join us on March 15 for the public event, “Is Nigeria a Hotbed of Islamic Extremism?”

• What do you make of the recent bloodshed in Nigeria?
• In addition to the conflict in Plateau State, what are some other areas of tension?
• Did these local conflicts affect the radicalization and subsequent actions of the so-called Christmas bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who was born and raised in Nigeria?
• What work is USIP doing to help resolve the religious tensions between Muslims and Christians? And what work does USIP do to improve governance in that country?

What do you make of the recent bloodshed in Nigeria?

Close to 500 people were killed the week of March 8 in villages near Jos in Plateau State. Most of the victims were local Christians and the attackers were Hausa/Fulani Muslims. The attack was most likely in retaliation for attacks in Jos in January when most of those killed were Muslims.

Over the past decade, several thousands have been killed in Plateau State when Muslims and Christians have attacked each other.

While most accounts of this violence are couched in religious terms, the motives are much more complex than simply religious differences. Ethnic differences, competition for political power and economic advantage, land ownership and who should be considered indigenous to the area are all factors.

These lines of division happen to overlap with religious divisions and so religion comes into play. The principal sources of this conflict are competition for resources and political power rather than theological differences.

In addition to the conflict in Plateau State, what are some other areas of tension?

We’re seeing an increasing militancy of youth in the oil rich Niger Delta, where the population is impoverished and believes that they are being deprived of their rightful share of oil revenues.

There has also been violent conflict in the North in recent months between government authorities and localized radical Muslim sects.

Did these local conflicts affect the radicalization and subsequent actions of the so-called Christmas bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who was born and raised in Nigeria?

It is a stretch to link the actions of the Nigerian Christmas bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, to this kind of grassroots alienation found in various parts of Nigeria.

There is no evidence that Abdulmutallab was connected to any Muslim sect within Nigeria. He was radicalized in Britain, rather than Nigeria, where he has spent little time in recent years. His actions were planned in Yemen, not Nigeria. He comes from a very wealthy family, so he was hardly alienated out of a sense of deprivation or government neglect.

What work is USIP doing to help resolve the religious tensions between Muslims and Christians? And what work does USIP do to improve governance in that country?

For the past four years, USIP’s Religion and Peacemaking Program has been collaborating with its Nigerian partner, the Interfaith Mediation Centre, to promote peace negotiations, dialogue, and reconciliation between Muslims and Christians in Jos and Bauchi. USIP helped the Interfaith Mediation Center mediate a successful peace agreement in one part of Plateau State in 2006. Their peacemaking had made some progress in Jos, but not enough to prevent the recent violence.

USIP also supported the production of a new documentary, "The Imam and the Pastor," which detailed the transformation of two Nigerian religious leaders -- Pastor James Wuye and Imam Mohammed Ashafa  -- from enmity into friendship and, eventually, into partners as heads of the Interfaith Mediation Centre.

The day after the most recent attacks, Pastor Wuye and Imam Ashafa were in Jos to use their talents and credibility to try to return Jos to peace and stability.

USIP has also been actively engaged with local partners in the Niger Delta to develop ideas for a peace plan for the Delta and to increase capacity for conflict resolution.  Seeking solutions to the oil crisis in the Niger Delta, USIP has collaborated with the African Center for Corporate Responsibility to create new structures for resolving conflicts amongst involved parties.

Related Resources on Nigeria

• Is Nigeria a Hotbed of Islamic Extremism? (March 15, 2010) - Event
• Crisis in the Niger Delta - Peace Brief
• Blood Oil in the Niger Delta - Special Report