UP Ibalon Bicol: ethnic unrest

Showing posts with label ethnic unrest. Show all posts

Islamic sectarian violence in Nigeria

7/30/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

In the past few days, heavy fighting in the northeastern part of Nigeria raged as sectarian violence erupted leading to the burning of houses and death of hundreds of people.

Government troops are battling Islamic militants headed by a radical cleric and forcing thousands people to escape to avoid the chaos. Reacting to the disturbance which left many dead on the streets, the president of Nigeria Umaru Yar'Adua says the situation is under control.

“The violence, which the authorities said began with an attack on a police station in the town of Bauchi on Sunday that left at least 39 people dead, quickly spread across four states in a heavily Muslim region long troubled by religious unrest. In this instance it appeared to have been led by an obscure fundamentalist opposed to what the authorities call “Western education.”---New York Times/ AFP (07/28/09, Nossiter, A.)

Nigeria is populated by about 140 million composed of 50% Muslims mostly in the North and 50% Christians in the South. Since the imposition of strict Muslim Shariah law in 12 northern states a decade ago after years of military rule, about 10,000 died in the ensuing religious conflict. Extremists allied with the Muslim radicals wage war against western education.

An analyst believes the root cause of the problem is the severe economic difficulties rocking the area. In spite of richness in oil and fuel reserves of Nigeria, unemployment and hunger are prevalent.

According to the World Health, 54% of Nigerians subsist in less than $1 per day budget. The people are frustrated with the government for the lack of electricity, water, healthcare and other basic human services. (Photo Credit: AFP/graphicis; AFP/ Utomi Ekepei) =0=

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Labels: Africa, ethnic unrest, Islamic militants, killings, Nigeria, poverty, Totie Mesia, unemployment

Hundreds died and scores injured in ethnic Uighur riots

7/07/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

At least 156 died and 828 people were injured in a bloody clash between Uighurs and government forces as the ethnic group, predominantly Muslim, came out of the streets on Monday, July 6, 2009 in northwestern China.

“The latest protests started in the provincial capital of Urumqi on Sunday, when demonstrators gathered to demand justice for two Uighurs killed in June during a fight with their Han co-workers at a factory in southern China.

The protests turned into the deadliest ethnic unrest to hit the region in decades.
Photos and video posted on the internet showed the city in flames, as rioters went on a rampage, clashing with police and rolling over police cars.”----AP/ CBCNesw.ca (07/06/09)

The Uighurs who are concentrated in the Xinjiang region of China have a turbulent relation with the ethnic Han Chinese who predominate in the country. As a result of the discrimination, the Uighurs complain against the Chinese government, the ethnic group has established a separatist group. Aside from job discrimination, they accuse the government of trying to eradicate their religion.

On the other hand, the Chinese government claimed that the fresh riots aimed to “destabilize the country” has been incited by exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer, the president of the Uighur American Association (UAA) who lives in exile since 2005 in Fairfax, Va. The exiled leader denied such a claim. (Photo Credit: AFP/ Peter Parks/ Yahoonews; AFP graphics) =0=

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Labels: China, death, discrimination, ethnic unrest, injuries, killings, Muslim, Rebiya Kadeer, riot, toll, Totie Mesia, Uighurs

UP Ibalon Bicol

Islamic sectarian violence in Nigeria

Hundreds died and scores injured in ethnic Uighur riots

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