Diaspora Leaders Condemn Benue Killings, Labelled as "Silent Genocide"

Tivs and Idoma community leaders in the diaspora have launched a scathing attack on the Federal Government, following a wave of killings in Benue State. Over 200 people died in the June 14 massacre in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area, prompting the diaspora leaders to describe the violence as a "silent genocide" against indigenous populations.

Key Takeaways:

• The killings in Benue are not just a farmer-herder conflict, but a coordinated campaign of ethnic cleansing, land theft, and genocidal violence aimed at indigenous people.
• The Federal Government has failed to provide adequate security or relief for affected communities, with over 2 million people displaced and families crammed into overcrowded IDP camps.
• The diaspora leaders have called for an immediate federal intervention, including the deployment of security forces, prosecution of perpetrators, and resettlement of displaced persons.
• The group has also demanded a full investigation into the Yelewata killings and condemned a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, which framed the massacres as "reprisal attacks" in a "farmer-herder conflict."
• The leaders have insisted that justice must precede reconciliation and that the Federal Government must act with urgency and fairness to protect communities, resettle displaced persons, and bring to book those responsible for the heinous crimes.
• The diaspora leaders have also called for the recovery of ancestral lands under illegal occupation and for a thorough federal resettlement and rehabilitation program to rebuild homes, farmlands, schools, clinics, and other infrastructure.

Statistics:

• Over 200 people were killed in the June 14 massacre in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area.
• Over 2 million people have been internally displaced in Benue State.
• The killings in Benue are believed to be part of a coordinated campaign of ethnic cleansing, land theft, and genocidal violence aimed at indigenous people.
• The Federal Government has failed to provide adequate security or relief for affected communities.

Sources:

• Open letter jointly signed by Professor Akaa D. Ayangeakaa and Chief Edwin Ochai, representing the Tivs and Idoma communities in the diaspora.