News Briefs

Abuja, Nigeria, Feb 6, 2019 / 10:01 pm (CNA).- In the face of Nigeria’s ongoing violence and political tensions, the country’s bishops have promoted a fair and faith-filled electoral process.

Nigeria will hold general elections Feb. 16. The country has continued to encounter violence from Muslim extremist groups and government brutality.

According to The Guardian, a Lagos daily, Bishop George Dodo of Zaria emphasized the importance of a Catholic’s civic duty at an interreligious press conference at the Catholic Pastoral Center in Zaria.

“Catholic social teaching encourages us as Catholics and patriotic citizens of this nation to be actively involved in civic and political activities,” he said.  

The bishop said the electorate should acquire the proper Permanent Voters Card and refrain from buying or selling votes. He also warned citizens about the potential violence surrounding the elections and urged residents to vote according to their conscious.

He encouraged people “to vote for any candidate of your choice whom you think has good qualities and capacity to defend, improve and, or add value to your lives and dignity.”

He further added that it is the obligation of the Church to educate “the lay faithful on their civic responsibilities, but it didn’t direct Catholics on whom, or about who to vote for, because its membership is not made of any one political party, but cut across all the political parties.”

During a Christmas statement on behalf of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Obiora Akubeze of Benin City challenged Nigerians to cling closer to Christ to confront the country’s recent violence.

Boko Haram is a jihadist military organization active in northern Nigeria. The group has been responsible for hundreds of kidnappings and tens of thousands of deaths and displacements. Last year, the militants burned 22 buildings, including a part of the Catechetical Training Centre in Kaya.

Fulani herdsman, a nomadic Islamic group, have created discord and strife in the middle states of the country. Clashes between the herdsmen and farmers have increased as climate issues have pushed herders to the south. In June, the herdsmen killed more than 80 people in Plateau State.  

The country has also seen tensions in religious freedom. Peaceful demonstrations from the Islamic Movement of Nigeria began late last year and continued into this year, with the most recent taking place Feb. 5. The protesters called for the release of their leader, Ibrahim Zakzaky, who has been detained in prison despite court orders for his release in 2016.  

During the protests in late October, Nigerian security forces used automatic weapons to disperse the crowds. Forty-five members of IMN were killed and another 100 members were wounded, according to the Washington Post.

Archbishop Obiora said the country is experiencing difficult times, pointing toward the damaging effects of Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsman. He urged Catholics to face these challenges with prayer, and trust in Christ.

“Let all Nigerians cry to God to transform Nigeria into a land where opportunities are actualized and where there is harmony and peace,” he said, according to Catholic News Service of Nigeria.

He further challenged politicians to fulfill their political promises and act in favor of the Nigerian people. He said politicians should not seek out prayers on behalf of their political success but instead pray for the “peace, justice, and prosperity to all Nigerians.”

“We hope for a Nigeria where our leaders will bring the dividends of democracy to all Nigeria irrespective of whether they voted for them or not,” he said.

“Our politicians should seek prayers from priests and pastors to get the grace to fulfil their electoral promises to the electorate. They should win the hearts of Nigerians through meaningful and substantial campaign rooted in realistic  promises that will better the lives of Nigerians,” he said.

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Bangui, Central African Republic, Feb 6, 2019 / 05:53 pm (CNA).- The Central African Republic government has signed a peace deal with more than a dozen armed groups this week.

The deal was announced by the African Union Saturday, according to Reuters, but details were not publicly released.

Several previous peace deals in the last five years have failed.

The latest deal, between government forces and 14 rebel groups, comes after two weeks of discussions. Both sides are hopeful that the deal will last, Reuters reported.  

The Central African Republic has suffered violence since December 2012, when several bands of mainly Muslim rebel groups formed an alliance, taking the name Seleka, and seized power.

In reaction to the Seleka’s attacks, some Central Africans formed self-defense groups called anti-balaka. Some of these groups, mainly composed of Christians, began attacking Muslims out of revenge, and the conflict took on a sectarian character.

Many Catholic churches in the country have offered refuge to Muslims and Christians alike fleeing violence, included churches in the Diocese of Bangassou, some 140 miles to the east of Alindao, where several Catholic institutions took in displaced Muslims facing violence at the hand of anti-balaka.

The country held a general election in 2015-16 which installed a new government, but militant groups continued to terrorize local populations. Thousands of people have been killed in the violence, and at least a million have been displaced. At least half of Central Africans depend on humanitarian aid, the U.N. reported last year.

The U.N. humanitarian chief for CAR, Najat Rochdi, has warned that the country will see a famine within a few years “if the situation is remaining the same and people are not going back to work their fields.”

The CAR bishops have repeatedly issued pleas for peace. They declared December 1 last year as a day of mourning and prayer for victims of violence. The day is normally celebrated as the anniversary of the nation’s establishment as a republic after French colonial rule.

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Accra, Ghana, Feb 6, 2019 / 04:10 pm (CNA).- The Catholic bishops of Ghana are condemning the actions of those involved in a violent incident during a Jan. 31 local election. According to local media reports, unidentified assailants injured eighteen people in a shooting near the capital city of Accra.

“We condemn in no uncertain terms the reported shootings and assaults perpetrated by some unidentified groups resulting in injuries,” the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference wrote in a joint statement Feb. 1.

“Of particular concern is the reported use of vigilante groups to disturb the peace and quiet of the by-election.”

The bishops warned that “such manifestations of lawlessness and insecurity” are a threat to the country’s democracy, especially as the country prepares for a general election in 2020. They encouraged the police to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident and the country’s Election Commission to “liaise with the political parties to address all the challenges and fears of stakeholders in the conduct of peaceful elections.”

“Finally, we also call on all citizens to remain law-abiding and eschew all forms of violence,” the bishops concluded.

The by-election was being held to fill a parliamentary seat in the constituency of Ayawaso West Wuogon in the capital city. One of the candidates, Delali Kwasi Brempong, reportedly tried to withdraw from the race after the violent incident but the election went ahead anyway, according to the Graphic Online.

Brempong’s party, the National Democratic Congress, accused the New Patriotic Party of fomenting the violence “to discredit Ghana’s electoral system to the international community,” an accusation that the NPP’s communications director has denied.

Ghanaian president Nana Akufo-Addo congratulated the winner of the election, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, calling it a “free, fair, transparent and credible election.” Alhassan is a member of the president’s New Patriotic Party and was pitted against a candidate from the opposition National Democratic Congress.

“The isolated incident of violence, which occurred in the early stages of the election, was unfortunate and regrettable, and I condemn it in no uncertain terms,” Akufo-Addo said in a statement.

“A by-election should be a peaceful and happy event, no matter how competitive. The Police is committed to conducting a rapid inquiry into the matter, and I expect all persons who are found culpable, at the end of the process, to face the full rigours of the law.”

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