Nigeria: 28 Christians Massacred, the Middle Belt Bleeds Again

The toll of the June 22-23 massacres in Nigeria's Middle Belt is confirmed: 28 Christians killed. The perpetrators remain at large. International silence persists.

The Fact

We had reported on the massacres of June 22-23 in Kawel, in Nigeria's Middle Belt, with an initial death toll of 28 according to the bishops' statement. Le Salon Beige now confirms this figure: 28 Christians massacred during these armed attacks, including Pastor Markus Nyam of the Christ for the Nations Church. The Nigerian bishops had subsequently demanded the release of the students and teachers kidnapped in the region. No arrests have been announced at this stage. The attacks, carried out by armed herders, methodically target Christian farming communities in Plateau State and neighboring states.

Our Analysis

This confirmed death toll illustrates a reality documented by Aid to the Church in Need and Open Doors for years: Nigeria's Middle Belt is the scene of creeping religious cleansing, which the federal authorities in Abuja systematically present as mere "communal conflicts" between herders and farmers. The distinction is not trivial. Labeling these acts as ethnic conflicts amounts to denying their explicit anti-Christian dimension and relieving the state of its responsibility to protect minorities. These 28 victims join the thousands of Nigerian Christians killed since 2015 amid the structural indifference of Western chancelleries.

For Reflection

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Mt 5:10). These twenty-eight anonymous martyrs of the Middle Belt bear witness to what the Church has carried since its origins. May their blood cry out to God—and challenge the governments that remain silent.