LAGOS: Gunmen have killed five villagers in central Nigeria's Plateau state, police said on Friday, but it was not immediately clear if the killings were linked to a long-running battle over grazing rights.
The incident happened late Wednesday in Rawuru village in the Barkin Ladi district of the state, an area beset with clashes between local farmers and nomadic Fulani herdsmen.
The victims were returning from a birthday party in the neighbouring Pugu village when they were attacked, state police spokesman Tyopeeve Terna said in a statement.
"On the 26/12/2018 at about 21:15 hours, some unknown gunmen attacked some people when they were returning from a birthday party from Pugu village. As a result of the attack, five people were killed and two were injured," Terna said.
He said police would hunt down the killers and bring them to justice.
Plateau is among the states in central Nigeria that have seen repeated clashes between farmers and herders in recent years, leaving thousands of people dead.
The violence which often takes on ethnic and religious differences, is mostly blamed on control of land and grazing rights.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who came to power in 2015 and is seeking a second term in February elections, is under pressure to end the conflict.
Gunmen kill five villagers in central Nigeria: police
Gunmen kill five villagers in central Nigeria: police
- The area has seen repeated clashes in recent years
- The violence is mostly the cause of ethnic and religious differences
Indonesia reaffirms Yemen’s territorial integrity, backs stability efforts amid tensions
- Statement comes after Saudi Arabia bombed a UAE weapons shipment at Yemeni port city
- Jakarta last week said it ‘appreciates’ Riyadh ‘working together’ with Yemen to restore stability
JAKARTA: Indonesia has called for respect for Yemen’s territorial integrity and commended efforts to maintain stability in the region, a day after Saudi Arabia bombed a weapons shipment from the UAE at a Yemeni port city that Riyadh said was intended for separatist forces.
Saudi Arabia carried out a “limited airstrike” at Yemen’s port city of Al-Mukalla in the southern province of Hadramout on Tuesday, following the arrival of an Emirati shipment that came amid heightened tensions linked to advances by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in the war-torn country.
In a statement issued late on Wednesday, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “appreciates further efforts by concerned parties to maintain stability and security,” particularly in the provinces of Hadramout and Al-Mahara.
“Indonesia reaffirms the importance of peaceful settlement through an inclusive and comprehensive political dialogue under the coordination of the United Nations and respecting Yemen’s legitimate government and territorial integrity,” Indonesia’s foreign affairs ministry said.
The latest statement comes after Jakarta said last week that it “appreciates the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as other relevant countries, working together with Yemeni stakeholders to de-escalate tensions and restore stability.”
Saudi Arabia leads the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, which includes the UAE and was established in 2015 to combat the Houthi rebels, who control most of northern Yemen.
Riyadh has been calling on the STC, which initially supported Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the Houthi rebels, to withdraw after it launched an offensive against the Saudi-backed government troops last month, seeking an independent state in the south.
Indonesia has also urged for “all parties to exercise restraint and avoid unilateral action that could impact security conditions,” and has previously said that the rising tensions in Yemen could “further deteriorate the security situation and exacerbate the suffering” of the Yemeni people.
Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country, maintains close ties with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which are its main trade and investment partners in the Middle East.
