After kidnapping schoolgirls, Boko Haram takes aim at churches in northeast Nigeria

[hrmjustin]

Fredrick Nzwili

NAIROBI, KENYA (RNS) Five months after Boko Haram abducted more than 200 girls in Nigeria’s Borno State, the Islamic extremist group has begun occupying churches in the country’s northeastern region, church officials there said.

The militant group, which church leaders and analysts view as an African variation of the Islamic State, is also beheading men, forcing Christian women to convert to Islam and taking them as wives, officials said.

“Things are getting pretty bad,” said the Rev. John Bakeni, the secretary of the Maiduguri Roman Catholic diocese in northeastern Nigeria. “A good number of our parishes in Pulka and Madagali areas have been overrun in the last few days.”

http://www.religionnews.com/2014/09/02/kidnapping-schoolgirls-boko-haram-takes-aim-churches-northeast-nigeria/

[AtheistCrusader]

1. I don't understand why the UN seems nearly entirely disengaged on this.

It's listed as a thing they are working on, on their site, but that's it. I see no evidence of much else happening.

This seems like precisely the sort of peacekeeping the UN would be good at.

[hrmjustin]

2. I agree the UN needs to do more but they probably expect others to

pick up the slack and that is not happening.

[AtheistCrusader]

3. Oil, diamonds, rare earths...

The 'developed' world has, and continues to reap such benefit from Africa as a whole.
It's an indictment against such nations that we don't fund the UN with sufficient arms/supplies to dent the wars, some of which are direct outgrowths of corporate profiteering off Africa's resources and people.

My own nation included.

[hrmjustin]

4. Africa is the forgotten continent.

Shameful!

[cbayer]

5. My daughter leaves for Nigeria this week. I thought this would be a good place to share this.

She works for the CDC and will be going there as part of the US ebola team. I am not overly concerned and I am very proud of her, but it is still difficult to see someone you love go into places of great instability.

[hrmjustin]

6. She will be in my prayers.

She sounds like a remarkable woman.

[cbayer]

7. Thanks so much, Justin.

She is truly remarkable.