Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Fulani in the News

When Sally and I were in West Africa, we were assigned to a team that worked with a sub-group of the Fulani.  The Fulani are the largest people group/tribe in West Africa, coming in at over 20,000,000 people.  Our sub-group had about 2 million.

I subscribe to a news alert email system that lets me know different trouble spots in the world.  It is very handy if you have an affinity to a certain country or part of the world, as much of the news that they send, you won't find on CNN or Fox.

Today's email included a bit about the Fulani in Nigeria:

Nigeria (Country threat level - 5): On 4 July 2010 approximately 200 suspected Muslim Fulani herdsmen attacked Gana Wuri, a Christian village in the Riyom area of Nigeria’s northern Plateau state. Riyom is located approximately 19 mi/30 km south of Jos, the state capital. The attackers were heavily armed, and at least one person was killed and two others were injured in the incident. Authorities believe that the perpetrators were cattle rustlers from neighboring Kaduna state. At least seven people have been arrested in connection with the attack.

ASI Comment: The incident is the latest in a series of violent attacks against the minority Christian population in the region. Similar incidents also took place in the Riyom area in March and April 2010, during which at least 14 people were killed. The attacks also come soon after Boko Haram, a local militant Islamist sect, threatened renewed violence on the one-year anniversary of its attacks that killed at least 300 people in Bauchi, Borno, Kano and Yobe states in July 2009.
You can subscribe to HotSpots by clicking this link: www.asigroup.com

Pray for the Nigerian Christians.  Pray for the Muslims in West Africa.  Pray for the missionaries who engage the Fulani.

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