The life of a Nigerian is as valuable as a French man's

[Anthea]

2,000 feared killed in 'deadliest' Boko Haram attack in Nigeria
Aminu Abubakar and Faith Karimi

Kano, Nigeria (CNN)Boko Haram militants opened fire on northern Nigerian villages, leaving bodies scattered everywhere and as many as 2,000 people feared dead, officials said.

"The attack on Baga and surrounding towns looks as if it could be Boko Haram's deadliest act," Amnesty International said in a statement.

Islamist militants sprayed bullets as they stormed in last weekend in trucks and armored vehicles, local authorities said Friday.

When they arrived, they unloaded motorcycles and pursued residents who fled into the bush, firing indiscriminately, said Baba Abba Hassan, a local district head.

Local officials reported death tolls ranging from hundreds to as many as 2,000 people.

"Dead bodies litter the bushes in the area and it is still no‎t safe to go and pick them (up) for burial," said Musa Bukar, the chairman of the local government where Baga is located.

"Some people who hid in their homes were burned alive."

Raid lasted for days

During the raid that started January 3, hundreds of gunmen seized the town of Baga and neighboring villages, as well as a multinational military base.

Attacks started at dawn and continued throughout last weekend, according to residents.

Though local officials gave conflicting death tolls, they agreed on the massive number of fatalities.

More than 2,000 people were killed in attacks on 16 villages, Bukar said. He could not explain how he arrived at that toll.

But the local district head said hundreds of people had been killed, not thousands. The actual toll will be known after a headcount of households is complete, Hassan said.

An offensive is underway to reclaim the areas from the militants, according to Mike Omeri, a government spokesman.

Tens of thousands displaced

At least 30,000 people were displaced, authorities said. About 20,000 of the displaced camped in Maiduguri city, the capital of Borno state.

Authorities are making arrangements to transport the 10,000 others from Monguno town, 60 kilometers (36 miles) from Baga. Some residents fled into neighboring Cameroon and Chad.

"If reports that the town was largely razed to the ground and that hundreds or even as many as 2,000 civilians were killed are true, this marks a disturbing and bloody escalation of Boko Haram's ongoing onslaught against the civilian population," Amnesty International's Daniel Eyre said.

Boko Haram has terrorized northern Nigeria regularly since 2009, attacking police, schools, churches and civilians, and bombing government buildings. It has also kidnapped students, including more than 200 schoolgirls who were abducted in April and remain missing.

The Islamist group has said its aim is to impose a stricter form of Sharia law across Nigeria, which is split between a majority Muslim north and a mostly Christian south.

The United States condemned the attacks, saying the group "shows no regard" for human life.

"All those responsible for these recurring terrorist attacks must be held accountable," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

Threats against Cameroon

In neighboring Cameroon, President Paul Biya urged the international community to help battle the terror group. His call came after the leader of the terrorist group threatened him in a YouTube video.

"Oh Paul Biya, if you don't stop this, your evil plot, you will taste what has befallen Nigeria. Your troops cannot do anything to us," Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau said in the video released this week.

The threat against the President came after Cameroonian soldiers killed dozens of Boko Haram fighters this month.

Biya told the international community that a global response is required to combat the terror group.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/09/afric ... index.html

[Anthea]

Terrible though the killings in Paris was - why has it received so much media coverage when the 2,000 killed by Boko Haram have been virtually ignored

A life is a life whatever country they are in and whatever colour they are

Why has this horrendous massacre been ignored by the world's media

Why does not America or it's friends help these innocent people

What is the difference between the savage murdering Islamic Jihadists in Iraq and Syria and the savage murdering Islamic Jihadists in Nigeria ?

[Anthea]

Boko Haram are also Sunni Muslim

[Anthea]

When I see the march taking place in Paris it saddens me that it did not combine with a Peace March for those in Nigeria

The world media seems to have little or no interest in the massacre that has recently taken place in Nigeria

A human being is a human being whether they be in Paris - Nigeria - Mali - Iraq or Syria

To me all life is sacred

The spread of weapons to terror groups MUST be STOPPED

Or one day a gun could be pointed at YOU

[Piling]

The difference is that in France, some housands and thousands of citizens demonstrate spontaneously then our pliticians followed them and then the world followed us. And European capitals did not oblige any citizen to walk with us.

When any Muslim countries demonstrate to protest agaisnt ISIS, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, and to protect Yezidis and Christians ? What in Africa ?

How many Middle Eastern and African countries organize demonstration to tell : We are all Kurds – Yezidis – Christians ?

The same for Nigeria. USA launched a campaign 'bring back our girls' but who in Muslim countries support it ? Only Westerners, in majority.

[Anthea]

How many of these people will protest the Boko Haram killing of 2,000 over the same 3 day period?

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Union President Donald Tusk, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, Jordan's Queen Rania, Jordan's King Abdullah II, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko

A murdering Islamic jihadist is a murdering Islamic jihadist whatever colour they are and and whatever country they are in

The growth of these barbaric groups has to be stopped - but as yet there does not appear to be any real united effort to put a stop to them - a little almost half-hearted effort in Iraq and Syria but almost none at all in the rest of the world

Most people close their eyes to the increasing violence and only wake up with a start when something happens in their own country

[Piling]

Thereare several unfair factors concerning the popularity of a cause :

– the place : if something happens to Paris (which is the first destination for tourists in the world) of course more ppl will be moved than in Gaza and if something happens in Gaza, more people will be moved about what happens in Nigeria.

– put a face on the victims and identifying to them : 2000 people do not raise much compassion because we can not imagine them as individuals but only as an anonymous mass. That is a psychologigal fact. If you read in a newspaper the sad story of a beaten dog or a murdered cat with picture of these pets, most of us would cry.Publish pics of mass of corpses : we would be disgusted, horrified, uneasy, but not encline to cry : because there are faceless deads. The portraits of 5 smiling and kind faces of French humorists have that power of empathy.

– Who can start and launch a support : If an official or a leader among the West wants to make campaign for Nigeria, will he got support from Muslim Umma or Araba Leaguer ? Not at all. When Michele Obama tried to post the message 'Bring Back Our Girls' concerning the pupils kidnapped in Nigeria, what were the reactions of many 'muslim-arabs-anti0americans- twitters : a parody of all the casualties in Iraq, Afghanistan,, etc saying : Look ! how many girls USA killed thenselves ?'

So Westerners were discouraged to support tht cause and Easterners who denied the right to Obama to support it did not do anything to save the girls by their side : the most important seemed to bash USA, instead of interrogating themselves concerning the place of Jihad in their own societies.

No politicians in France could obliged 3,4 millions of people to demonstrate in Paris. It was a spontaneous popular movement from French citizens, then from Europeans and then from the world : snowball effect. But without the first step : FRENCH MOBILIZATION, nothing could have happened. The Arab Spring did not start in Tunis with the support of Westerners (at the contrary). People moved first, and then were supported by most of the world public opinion.

It questions also Africa : where is the 'public opinion' or 'the street' ? the same for Pakistan, Saudi etc.

– the last and sad fact but true is that terrorism can not destroy a strong country in an evoluated society : France, USA, EU might have some authoritarian/racist/freedom killing reactions like Patriotic Acts but soon or late, the old way of life wins. Terrorism destroys only weak country, fake states, societies without social links and solidarity : Syria, Iraq, many African countries. Terrorism is like plague attacking an organism : strong and wealthy ppl have more chances to survive than weak and poor's.

And we could notice that war and terrorism did not destroy Kurdistan : so the proof that is is a REAL state and a strong society, in spite of all its political rivalries (which exist in all democratic country). Then Kurds win the mediatic battle facing ISIS and get Westerner support.

[Londoner]

Boko Heram is a sunnie sect and most Nigerians are sunnies. Most Nigerians including high officials are strictly religious, which make you to think that all of them have tendency towards Boko Heram.

[Anthea]