Do the Nigerian Massacres Matter?

When reports did cover the who, what, when, and where, only some discussed the why. The AP account connected the killings to “the sectarian division between Christians and Muslims in Africa’s most populous nation.” Reuters, however, downplayed the religious difference, stating that “experts and politicians” say “climate change” is “pushing farmers and herders into conflict.” Maybe, but one group of experts, the Nigerian-based InterSociety (International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law), last April reported that 5,000 Nigerians in 2022 were killed “for being Christians,” and the total since 2009 is more than 52,000. Lela Gilbert of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom noted that, with media paying attention to Russia vs. Ukraine (and now Israel vs. Gaza), “often our Western news reports overlook the ever-increasing bloodshed in Africa, even as radical Islamists—energized by the Islamic State—continue to ignite deadly infernos.”