Well of course it’s hard to tell from the outside – but one thing that is certainly NOT behind the ongoing eruptions of violence in Nigeria’s Plateau state is a simple case of Christian–Muslim clashes.
That’s despite stories like that in today’s Times (500 butchered in Nigeria killing fields) where it was “Sunday morning’s Muslim rampage” that resulted in the deaths of so many.
Yes, even babies were butchered, among many sickening sights – but is it enough to describe the "rampage" as "Muslim"? Archbishop Ben Kwashi issued a statement on the situation which you can read on the CMS website.
Describing the heartbreaking sight of mass burials, Archbishop Kwashi issues an urgent call to prayer to Christians world-wide.
He also clearly describes how faithful followers of both religions have already been seeking ways to build peace in the region.
In the UK media only the BBC seem to be going to the trouble of explaining the background to the situation in any depth (how they report Sunday's massacres).
In what should be no surprise, communities in the Jos area are divided among much more than religious lines. A whole ethnic group will be “Christian” or “Muslim” and the main Muslim communities are still classed as “settlers” – giving them fewer rights than the “indigenous” Christian communities. (Read the useful BBC Q&A on the situation.)
And then, please pray.
As Archbishop Kwashi says, “These times call for a full turning of our hearts and lives to the Lord.”
UPDATE 9 March: Another useful backgrounder appears on the Guardian's Comment is free: "For all those who will go out and fight their Muslim or Christian brothers on the streets, there are many more (Nigerians) who will take them into their home to protect them, when fighting breaks out".
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