ecoi.net - European Country of Origin Information Network

Specific information relating to the treatment of the Fulani by the Tarek in the Bashar-wase area is currently unavailable to the IRBDC.

The following information regarding the Christian-Moslem situation in Nigeria may prove helpful. The Hausa and Fulani in the north are one of the four largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, the other three being the Ibo in the east and the Yoruba in the west (Ashworth 117).

According to the New Encyclopedia Britannica about half of Nigeria is Muslim, a third Christian and the rest animist (703). Islam dominates the north while the south is dominated by Christianity (The Economist, 3 May 1986).

Since independence in 1960, Muslims and Christians in Nigeria have often held conflicting views on Nigerian educational policies, laws, the allocation of government projects and social matters (West Africa, 18 January 1988). Although the Nigerian constitution of 1979 prohibits the federal and state governments from adopting any state religion, Islam has provided a political advantage to the north in that most of Nigeria's rulers since independence have come from the Muslim north (Africa Confidential, Vol 29, No.23 & Vol. 29, No. 24). Religion plays a significant role in Nigerian politics. Religious conflicts in the north in 1987 culminated in riots which left churches burnt and mosques desecrated (Globe & Mail, 21 August 1987). Eleven people reportedly died during the riots and about 489 people were reported arrested (The New York Times, 13 March 1987). The government of Babangida set up an Advisory Council on Religious Affairs (ACRA) in June 1987 whose principle objective was to foster "religious harmony through the provision of a permanent forum for mutual sectarian interaction" (West Africa, 18 January 1988).

For detailed information concerning religious conflict between Muslims and Christians please refer to the enclosed articles.
"To Keep Nigeria One", The Economist, 3 May 1986.
Brooke, James, "Moslem Mobs in Nigeria Said to Kill 11 in the North", New York Times, 13 March 1987.
Kotch, Nick, "Riots in North Threaten Nigerian Unity", Globe & Mail, 18 March 1987.
Brooke, James, Nigeria Torn With Rioting over Religion", New York Times, 22 March 1987.
"Nigeria: The Religious Question", West Africa, 18 January 1988.
"Nigeria Cracks in the North", Africa Confidential, 29 April 1987.
Doucet, Lyse, "Clash of Faiths: Christian-Moslem harmony Upset in Nigeria", Globe & Mail, 21 August 1987.
Press, M. Robert, "Nigeria: Is this one nation - or two? Christian-Muslim Split Threaten National Unity", Christian Science Monitor, 30 November-6 December 1987.
"Nigeria: Intruding on Tradition", Africa Confidential, Vol.29, No.23, 20 March 1989.
"Nigeria: Religion Moves Towards the Front Line", Africa Confidential, Vol. 29, No. 24, 2 December 1988.
The Associated Press, 3 April 1988.
Response to Information Request No. 2715, available at the Toronto Documentation Centre.
Bibliography

Ashworth, Georgina, ed. World Minorities, Vol. 1, Sunbury: Quartermaine House Ltd., 1977.

Information on demonstrations held in Benin on 9th October to protest the 7th October banning of political parties is currently unavailable to the IRBDC. However, the following articles regarding the ban of 13 political parties on 7 October 1989 and the creation of two official parties are attached for your reference:
1. U.S. Department of State. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1989, Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1989, pp. 277-278.
2. Dateline, "Nigeria", West Africa, 23-29 October 1989, p. 1777.