Space Industry and Business News
AFRICA NEWS
Nigeria army reinforces security in troubled central state
Nigeria army reinforces security in troubled central state
by AFP Staff Writers
Jos, Nigeria (AFP) July 20, 2023

Nigeria's military has sent reinforcements to calm tensions in a troubled northern central state, where local officials say at least 300 people have been killed in three months of inter-communal violence.

Plateau State has been struggling since May with a surge in clashes and raids between communities of Muslim nomadic herders and mostly Christian pastoral farmers in one of the country's hotspots.

Violence often flares in Plateau, which straddles the line between Nigeria's mostly Muslim north and its predominantly Christian south.

"It is sad that more than 300 people have been killed," Plateau State governor Caleb Mutfwang told reporters on Wednesday after a meeting with army commanders.

"The state government has started seeing positive moves by the military to arrest the ugly situation."

The military has temporarily moved the headquarters of its local Operation Safe Haven campaign from state capital Jos to Mangu district, one of the local government areas worst-hit by the violence.

The attacks have also left thousands of people displaced and villages and properties destroyed.

"Troops have been beefed up to partake in the ongoing operations to flush out the criminal elements causing havoc in the troubled local government areas," Operation Safe Haven commander Major-General Abdussalami Abubakar told reporters.

"Be assured of the commitment of the Nigerian army to quickly restore normalcy to all troubled regions in the Plateau."

In one of the most recently reported clashes last month, 16 people were killed in two attacks, including half a dozen members of a local farming self-defence vigilante force in Riyom area, and another ten people in Mangu.

Some locals in Mangu district told AFP that they were relieved by the troop reinforcement, which along with a strict curfew appears to have eased the situation.

"We are calm, the presence of the security men within and around Mangu is making us feel safe," local resident Pwul Thomson said.

"The curfew is still on, but it was relaxed from 24-hours to 7:00 am to 6:00 pm, we can move to look for some food to eat."

Another local, Malam Usman Adamu, also welcomed the heavy presence of troops and police in the area.

"No attacks from both sides, Mangu and environs are now very calm," he said.

It was unclear what triggered the flareup of attacks in Plateau. Tensions between herders and farmers over land and resources often spiral into tit-for-tat village raids by armed gangs who kidnap, loot and kill.

The Plateau crisis is one of the many security challenges facing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who took the helm of Africa's most populous nation at the end of May after a highly contested election in February.

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
AFRICA NEWS
Chinese man convicted in Malawi over racist videos
Lilongwe, Malawi (AFP) July 20, 2023
A Malawian court on Thursday convicted a Chinese national accused of racism and exploiting children in relation to a series of online videos and ordered him to leave the country. A judge in the African nation's capital of Lilongwe handed Lu Ke, 27, a 12-month sentence after the man found guilty of procuring children to take part in entertainment and racially exploiting them. Public prosecutor Masauko Chamkakala said Lu, who was arrested last year, was given seven days to leave Malawi, having al ... read more

AFRICA NEWS
Groundbreaking 3D-Printed frictionless gear for space applications

NASA space laser provides answers to a rainforest canopy mystery

US regulator backs off Microsoft-Activision challenge

UBC Okanagan researchers investigate new use for plastic bottles

AFRICA NEWS
ATLAS Space launches Freedom Space for Government Missions

SYRACUSE 4B Satellite Launched: Boost for French Military Communications

DoD awards Global X-Band Blanket Purchase Agreement to SES

Ensuring reliable communications between US and Partners at the tactical edge

AFRICA NEWS
AFRICA NEWS
Northrop Grumman's new airborne navigation system achieves successful flight test

Fugro and GomSpace deliver world class position and timing accuracy onboard LEO satellites

GMV to head up Galileo ground segment after securing a new contract

LEO PNT satellite signal simulator debuts at JNC 2023 conference

AFRICA NEWS
On the wing-lets of innovation with NASA Armstrong

Vanguard of stealth technology over many decades

Stratospheric success for BAE Systems' PHASA-35 UAV drone

AFRL Airlift Challenge tests AI-based logistics planning for future operations

AFRICA NEWS
Chip giant AMD says AI to be 'mega-trend' for computing world

Next-generation microelectronics manufacturing aims to sustain R and D Ecosystem

Consortium explores energy-efficient electronics and photonics

Chip tech leader ASML sales jump despite US-China spat

AFRICA NEWS
Satellite info available for cities to tap into

Climate and land use shifts alter Africa's Sudano-Sahelian dryland regions

Spire using ever more satellite data to enhance global weather forecasts

NASA-ISRO earth observing satellite coming together in India

AFRICA NEWS
Lebanese activists fight rampant beachside development

Marine animal poisonings overwhelm California volunteers

France to pay bonus for shoe, clothes repairs to cut waste

UK polluting firms to face unlimited fines; Toxic foam blights crucial Brazil river

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.