During the last session in Strasbourg on 10 June 2022, we debated many current issues. I took the floor on the events that took place in Nigeria on Pentecost Sunday.The Pentecost drama in Nigeria is once again fuelling fears of an outbreak of violence in the country, which is divided between Muslims in the north and Christians in the south. The attacks by a gang of fanatical criminals who use religion as a cover for their crimes affect all ethnic and religious groups in the nation.
These killings often correspond to ethnic rivalries, socio-economic and territorial claims, poverty and unemployment. For the past decade, there have been numerous assaults and kidnappings. Women and children are the first victims. Women and young girls are raped and the abductees are degraded to sexual objects. The jihadists from the group Boko Haram have targeted churches in this conflict to divide the population.
The security problem remains a major challenge in Africa's most populous country, which has the continent's largest economy and numerous resources.
We condemn these massacres and encourage Christians and Muslims to work hand in hand for peaceful cohesion to end instability in the country.
To what extent investment and job creation for young people could help change the political landscape and calm the social climate is one of the questions we could discuss with our partners in Nigeria?