Massad Boulos, Special Adviser to the US President on Arab and African matters, has characterized farmer-herder conflicts in Nigeria’s Middle Belt as incidents arising from cattle movements rather than deliberate religious targeting.
Speaking during an interview with Channels TV from 1:59, Boulos explained the circumstances surrounding the conflicts that have claimed thousands of lives. “There are incidents that happen to be in the Middle Belt, for example, where farmers are located. Most of these farmers happen to be Christian, and there are crises when some herdsmen are passing through, and that is why we have these incidents,” he said.
The US presidential adviser rejected the characterization of the violence as targeting specific religious groups. “But we definitely know it’s not something that we can say is specifically targeted at this specific group. However, we must work together to put an end to this,” Boulos stated.
He acknowledged recent efforts by the Nigerian government to address the security situation. “The Nigerian government and President Tinubu’s administration have recently taken additional measures and put more resources in those areas, and we’ve seen some improvements in recent weeks. We appreciate those measures, and we definitely look forward to more of those, and we look forward to ending these sorts of acts wherever they come from,” he said.
Boulos emphasized Nigeria’s historical religious diversity and coexistence. “And we know that Nigeria is a melting pot. Nigeria is a country in which all sorts of religious groups and other groups—ethnic and tribal and other groups—are living together in harmony for centuries. And Nigeria’s population is split 50/50, probably between Christians and Muslims. So this has never been a serious religious issue and should not be,” Boulos stated. See, More, Here>>>
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