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The Digest:

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria has formally requested the US Congress to remove it from a sanctions list, rejecting allegations of religious persecution and presenting data showing massive casualties among pastoralist communities.

Key Points:
  • MACBAN President Baba Ngelzarma called a US House resolution recommending sanctions "misleading and incomplete."
  • The group asserts it is a lawful socio-cultural association registered since 1986, not a militia.
  • MACBAN presented data showing 18,600 pastoralists killed and 1.29 million displaced between 2015-2025.
  • The association highlighted collaboration with security agencies and international partners like USAID.
  • Ngelzarma stated the resolution blurs distinctions between criminals and law-abiding pastoralists.
  • The US Congress is scheduled to hold a hearing on Nigeria's religious freedom designation this week.
  • MACBAN's appeal was delivered through the American embassy in Abuja.
In the storm of international scrutiny, these figures reveal a community positioning itself not as perpetrators of violence, but as victims caught in Nigeria's relentless security crisis.

Sources: The Cable, Premium Times