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abujagirl
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A Council on Foreign Relations article by John Campell explores the killing of Shiite Muslims in Zaria and the likely outcome.
Africa watchers have been focused of late on Burundi. On December 12, however, their attention was drawn back to Nigeria. The Nigerian army killed a number of Shia Muslims in Zaria, Kaduna state. This has resulted in representations from Tehran, Iran, which regards itself as the protector of the Shia everywhere, including Nigeria. As of now, reports from Shia sources are more credible than the lame denials from the military. Amnesty International is demanding an urgent investigation. Yet again, the Nigerian military’s lack of transparency may have made a bad situation worse. Iranian involvement in northern Nigeria and the potential radicalization of the Nigerian Shia could have negative consequences for Africa broader than the current turmoil in Burundi.
Shia sources are reporting that the army killed up to one thousand in Zaria, and that the fighting is continuing. Many of the same sources claim that the army attacked a Shia procession that was blocking the movement of the Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai’s motorcade; the military is claiming that the Shia threatened the motorcade and attacked a police station. Military sources claim that the number of casualties was as low as seven. As reported in the New York Times and elsewhere, the specificity of the Shia spokesmen lends credibility to their claims. The Times quoted Abdullahi Tumburkai, a journalist, as saying he had counted more than 830 bodies in a local mortuary. Ibrahim Musa, a Shia spokesman, said up to one thousand had been killed. Chidi Odinkalu, a Nigerian human rights advocate and not a Shia, has characterized the killings as “a massacre.”
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Africa watchers have been focused of late on Burundi. On December 12, however, their attention was drawn back to Nigeria. The Nigerian army killed a number of Shia Muslims in Zaria, Kaduna state. This has resulted in representations from Tehran, Iran, which regards itself as the protector of the Shia everywhere, including Nigeria. As of now, reports from Shia sources are more credible than the lame denials from the military. Amnesty International is demanding an urgent investigation. Yet again, the Nigerian military’s lack of transparency may have made a bad situation worse. Iranian involvement in northern Nigeria and the potential radicalization of the Nigerian Shia could have negative consequences for Africa broader than the current turmoil in Burundi.
Shia sources are reporting that the army killed up to one thousand in Zaria, and that the fighting is continuing. Many of the same sources claim that the army attacked a Shia procession that was blocking the movement of the Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai’s motorcade; the military is claiming that the Shia threatened the motorcade and attacked a police station. Military sources claim that the number of casualties was as low as seven. As reported in the New York Times and elsewhere, the specificity of the Shia spokesmen lends credibility to their claims. The Times quoted Abdullahi Tumburkai, a journalist, as saying he had counted more than 830 bodies in a local mortuary. Ibrahim Musa, a Shia spokesman, said up to one thousand had been killed. Chidi Odinkalu, a Nigerian human rights advocate and not a Shia, has characterized the killings as “a massacre.”
Click image to read full article