World Tour: Recent persecution in Nigeria

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: WORLD Tour with our reporter in Africa, Onize Oduah

ONIZE ODUAH: Nigeria — We start today here in Nigeria, where weekend violence returned to the farming communities in north central Benue state.

Local officials said at least 23 people died in the attacks, blamed on armed Fulani herdsmen and another militia group.

U.S. officials condemned the ongoing killings in Benue and elsewhere. During a hearing last week, former USAID chief advisor for international religious freedom called for more tangible American support. Samah Norquist noted past obstructions to supporting victims of religious violence:

SAMAH NORQUIST: Ambassadors often blocked initiatives to implement the administration's policies, policies set by the President of the United States and reaffirmed by the Secretary of State were ignored if those policies conflicted with their views or the host government's preferences.

Another panelist at that hearing was Vicky Hartzler, a commissioner with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. She expressed sadness over the persistent killings in the country, particularly during the Lent and Easter season.

VICKY HARTZLER: Nigeria has unfortunately been a slaughtering house for people of faith for far too long.

Later, Hartzler told WORLD that the commission this year again flagged Nigeria as a religious freedom violator, a designation that comes with sanctions and other penalties.

HARTZLER: Now there's a great opportunity for the Trump administration to come in and to to follow up and and to make these designations, and to once again designate Nigeria as a country of particular concern.

Turkey — Next, to Turkey. A militant group on Monday announced the end of its four-decade insurgency against the state.

The Kurdistan Workers Party, known as PKK, began its uprising in 1984 as it sought an independent Kurdish state.

The conflict has killed more than 40,000 people since. Turkey and several Western nations have declared the PKK a terror group.

Anouar El Anouni is the EU foreign affairs spokesperson.

ANOUAR EL ANOUNI: We call on all parties to seize the moment and embark on an inclusive process based on dialogue and reconciliation. Finding a fair and lasting solution respecting fundamental rights and the rule of law would not only benefit all Turkish citizens, but would also contribute to stability in the entire region.

The group said it would cease all military operations immediately. That follows a party congress in northern Iraq after the PKK’s jailed leader called for the group to disband.

In Turkey, salesman Abdulhakim Doganer said he saw the happiness in people’s faces after the announcement.

ABDULHAKIM DOGANER: We were very happy about it. With God's permission, it will continue, you all saw this atmosphere, God willing, it will continue. We, the Kurdish people, never really supported the war.

He says here that the Kurdish people didn’t really support the war as he prayed that the peace process would continue.

Turkey has said the disbanding should apply to all PKK affiliates but Kurdish fighters in Syria have said any ceasefire does not apply to them.

Afghanistan — Finally we end in Afghanistan, where the ruling Taliban has suspended the game of chess.

A sports official on Sunday said the game is considered a form of gambling under Sharia law.

Azizullah Gulzada runs a cafe in Kabul that hosts informal chess games. He says chess was a good mental game that brought many young people together and kept them busy.

AZIZULLAH GULZADA: It’s an international game, and we have it in all Islamic communities, including countries like Iran, Pakistan, and many other Islamic nations. Players participate at the international level and take part in international tournaments.

He adds here that other Islamic countries like Pakistan and Iran continue to partake in international chess tournaments.

The Taliban has restricted other sports like mixed martial arts in recent years, citing similar incompatibilities with sharia law.

That’s it for this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Oduah in Abuja, Nigeria.

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