Nigeria
African bishops to boycott meeting of Anglican council over Episcopal Church attendance
By Fredrick Nzwili — March 10, 2016
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) Anglicans in Kenya are the latest to boycott the meeting, following Uganda and Nigeria.
Refugees from war and persecution speak of hopes for 2016
By Reuters — December 29, 2015
Those who fled are grateful to be alive. Yet, said one, "2016 may be different in some ways, but the truth is the trauma remains."
Despite the odds, one doctor promotes family planning in Muslim Nigeria
By Fredrick Nzwili — October 19, 2015
(RNS) For 10 years, Dr. Farouk Mohammed Jega, 45,has been championing evidence-based arguments to try to persuade clerics in Northern Nigeria that Islam supports family planning methods.
As Nigeria prepares to install new president, female suicide bombings spike
By Fredrick Nzwili — May 27, 2015
(RNS) More women and children have been used as suicide bombers in the first five months of this year than during the whole of last year, according to reports collated by UNICEF, the United Nation Children’s Fund.
5 takeaways from the new report by US Commission on International Religious Freedom
By Brian Pellot — May 5, 2015
(RNS) The Central African Republic is bad, Malaysia is getting worse, and ISIS fighters should face the International Criminal Court.
Nigeria marks one year since Boko Haram kidnapped schoolgirls
By Fredrick Nzwili — April 14, 2015
(RNS) In Chibok, there were high expectations as the military started combing the Sambisa forest, where the militants are believed to have hidden the children.
Anglican Communion’s new secretary general draws praise from Africa, condemnation elsewhere
By Fredrick Nzwili — April 13, 2015
(RNS) Nigerian Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon's appointment has drawn criticism from gay groups who pointed out that he has a history of anti-gay statements.
Nigeria’s neighbors hope for a fresh start with President-elect Buhari
By Reuters — April 6, 2015
MALAM FATORI, Nigeria (Reuters) President-elect Muhammadu Buhari has called Nigeria's reliance on neighboring armies in Niger and Chad a disgrace and has vowed to restore the territorial integrity of Africa's most populous nation amid ongoing threats from Boko Haram.
Can a Muslim president defeat Boko Haram? Nigerians are betting on it
By Fredrick Nzwili — April 1, 2015
(RNS) Nigerians, both Christian and Muslim, hope their new president is better-suited to battle Boko Haram insurgents, despite being a Muslim himself.
Nigerian Christians may back a Muslim candidate in upcoming presidential elections
By Fredrick Nzwili — March 24, 2015
(RNS) Some Nigerians fear that another term for Goodluck Jonathan would mean the emergence of more Muslim extremist groups in addition to Boko Haram. And they are willing to pin their hopes on a Muslim candidate.
‘I wish I could also have died’: Boko Haram haunts kids
By Tonny Onyulo — March 11, 2015
BAGA SOLA, Chad (RNS) Children make up about half of the Nigerians coming to the crowded Baga Sola refugee camp. Many are orphans sinking into despair, traumatized from the horrors they've witnessed and facing an uncertain future.
Boko Haram pledges loyalty to brutal Islamic State
By Katharine Lackey — March 9, 2015
The pledge would make Boko Haram the largest extremist group to agree to fight under the Islamic State
Amid criticism, Nigeria postpones presidential election, citing ongoing violence by Boko Haram
By Fredrick Nzwili — February 9, 2015
(RNS) Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan has been sharply criticized for his management of the Boko Haram crisis and some Western leaders suggested the postponement was a last-ditch effort to shore up his vote.
Boko Haram emerges as brutal Islamic State of Africa
By Oren Dorell — January 23, 2015
(RNS) Nigerian government troops seem weak and incapable of stopping Boko Haram from becoming a growing danger to Africa's most populous country and the world's 10th largest oil exporter.
A complicated world intrudes upon an ideologically driven Congress (COMMENTARY)
By Tom Ehrich — January 13, 2015
(RNS) The disconnect between what Congress wants to do and what the nation needs done is vast and bizarre.
