While the attention of most of the world drawn to the terrorist slaughter of nearly 200 people in Mumbai this weekend, less-reported but equally violent events errupted in Nigeria as a response to disputed local elections last week.
CRWRC has released $10,000 in emergency funding to provide immediate aid to desparate survivors who are displaced by the mayhem and arson. CRWRC staff in Jos are expected to request additional emergency relief funds early next week.
Yesterday CRWRC and other staff residing in Jos were reported to be safe despite immediate proximity to the violence.
"The crisis in Jos is really bad," a CRWRC staff member there said early Sunday. "Estimates here are that hundreds of lives have been lost already. Thousands are displaced and have sought refuge in now-overcrowded public buildings -- police stations, army barracks, and hospitals, as well as with relatives and friends... The situation is not good."
Nigerian authorities reported today that more than 340 people are confirmed dead in the last three days of fighting in Jos, the capitol of Plateau State, in Central Nigeria. The area is on a sort of religious dividing line that spans the African continent from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean. The State is home to numerous ethnic groups who dispute ownership of the land in addition to living on the front line between the mostly Muslim north and the predominantly Christian south.
The agencies of the Christian Reformed Church in North America have had a presence in Nigeria since the 1920s. CRWRC currently has a half-dozen staff people located in Jos as well as dozens of CRC agency staff spread throughout the country.
CRWRC-Nigeria Country Consultant, John Orkar, is from Jos and is currently on speaking tour in North America. Orkar reported this morning that fellow staff members protected his home in Jos while the Anglican Church next door was burned down by arsonists.
"Our house shares a fence with the Anglican Church," Orkar said. "The rioters attempted to burn down our house, but several people defended it until security forces arrived. Staff told me this morning (Sunday) that soldiers are stationed outside our house, but it and the rest of our neighborhood is safe.
The Nigerian News reported today that the government deployed nearly 300 armed soldiers over the weekend to control the unrest, which centered on burning churches and mosques. Government officials, including Nigerian Vice President Goodluck Johnathan, condemned the violence as a political ploy disguised in the cloak of religious oppression. Naitonal officials called for calm, including Elder Statesman Solomon Lar who assured victims that the country would "get to the root of it for a lasting solution."
In addition to the immediate relief assistance released over the weekend, CRWRC and Christian Reformed World Missions staff in Jos are meeting today to assess current needs and coordinate further response with other relief and development agencies in the area.
"Certainly," Jos staff members say, "the need is great."
See John Orkar's December Newsletter for more on the Nigeria Conflict.
Donate online today, designating your funds to "Nigeria Conflict 2008".
Members of the Press seeking additional information regarding CRWRC's Nigeria response, phone Ken Little, CRWRC International Relief Program Manager, at 1-800-730-3490 or US Media Contact, Beth DeGraff, at 1-800-55-CRWRC or 616-648-7821.