Tragedy in Nigeria: #BlackLivesMatterEverywhere

[AthenaAwakened]

The Catholic Archbishop of Jos, in central Nigeria, has accused the West of ignoring the threat of the militant Islamist group, Boko Haram.

Ignatius Kaigama said the world had to show more determination to halt the group's advance in Nigeria.

He said the international community had to show the same spirit and resolve it had done after the attacks in France.

His warning came after 23 people were killed by three female suicide bombers, one reported to be 10 years old.

The weekend attacks come after reports that hundreds of people were killed last week during the capture by Boko Haram of the town of Baga in Borno state.

In the neighbouring country of Cameroon, the military said it had repelled an attack by Boko Haram insurgents on one of its northern bases.

A military source told the BBC that the insurgents had come in over the Nigerian border. In the exchange of gunfire, the army says one soldier and several insurgents were killed.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30777066

 

[Tom Sawyer]

What was that line in Hotel Rwanda?

"You're not even niggers. You're just Africans".

Doesn't Nigeria have oil? This sounds like a US problem.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Nigeria has major corruption problems. Anything we try to do short of directly deploying force is mostly going to go into the kleptocrats' pockets.

 

[bigfield]

This is why I try not to give a shit about people being murdered in the West - it's the only way to be consistent.

 

[Nice Squirrel]

I agree with Loren, Nigeria has some government corruption problems therefore we shouldn't have any empathy for innocent victims of horrible senseless violence.


[/asshole]

 

[Axulus]

I agree with Loren, Nigeria has some government corruption problems therefore we shouldn't have any empathy for innocent victims of horrible senseless violence.


[/asshole]

I didn't know that empathy and lack of effective means to resolve the problem were mutually incompatible.

 

[Playball40]

What exactly do those monsters want? I'm assuming they want power, control and the full subjugation of women? I assume the governments are against it, but does the govt have the resources to stop it?

 

[Medicine Man]

What was that line in Hotel Rwanda?

"You're not even niggers. You're just Africans".

Doesn't Nigeria have oil? This sounds like a US problem.

....A U.S. problem that (just) might be of interest to the folks in Nebraska.


*
​

 

[AthenaAwakened]

Nigeria has major corruption problems. Anything we try to do short of directly deploying force is mostly going to go into the kleptocrats' pockets.

Tell me Loren.

Is there anything that can be done to black people that you feel is so heinous that is rises to level of someone stepping in and at least attempting to stop it?



Boko Haram is the bad party here, not the Nigerian govt. Well maybe when Boko Haram does their first mass killing of white people, it won't be on African soil and won't too many die.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Nigeria has major corruption problems. Anything we try to do short of directly deploying force is mostly going to go into the kleptocrats' pockets.

Tell me Loren.

Is there anything that can be done to black people that you feel is so heinous that is rises to level of someone stepping in and at least attempting to stop it?

Boko Haram is the bad party here, not the Nigerian govt. Well mayde when Boko Haram does their first mass killing of white people, it won't be on African soil and won't too many die.

Morons the lot of you. Until a member of Boko Haram drives around Akron looking to buy a wedding dress, they aren't really that big of a deal.

This is America, we can't be policing the whole world. We can only muddle in so many places. And right now, the Middle East is our muddling pond. If you want us in Nigeria so badly, why don't you create a Mercenary group and fight Boko Haram yourself?

 

[dismal]

What exactly do those monsters want? I'm assuming they want power, control and the full subjugation of women? I assume the governments are against it, but does the govt have the resources to stop it?

Perhaps there are some clues here:

Boko Haram ("Western education is forbidden"), officially called Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'Awati Wal-Jihad ("People Committed to the Prophet's Teachings for Propagation and Jihad"), is a militant and self-professed Islamist movement based in northeast Nigeria with additional activities in Chad, Niger and Cameroon.[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boko_Haram

 

[funinspace]

Somalia has 10M people, which are 98% Muslim. Nigeria has 150M people, and is roughly 50-50 Muslim-Christian. Now consider that Iraq only has 36M people, and is a very open and arid country.

Part of why US aid has been somewhat limited, is that the Nigerian Govt. isn't very nice either:
http://blogs.rollcall.com/five-by-f...itary-aid-to-nigeria-to-hunt-boko-haram/?dcz=

But last week, a Pentagon spokesman, in response to a request from CQ Roll Call, said the official wasn’t criticizing the law at all — in fact, she was criticizing the human rights abuses that made it more difficult to find Nigerian military units fit for U.S. assistance.

The California Republican is standing by his desire to waive the law, however, with a spokesman citing criticism of the law by Defense Department officials broadly.

The law in question is known colloquially as the Leahy Law, after its author, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt. It prevents U.S. aid to military units that are implicated in gross human rights abuses, like rape or torture.

More details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Nigeria

Oct 2013, more aid to government-militaries that utilize under 18 soldiers in the Horn of Africa:
http://www.commondreams.org/news/20...ays-military-aid-countries-use-child-soldiers

On Monday, President Obama issued complete waivers to Yemen, Chad, and South Sudan, opening up those countries to U.S. military aid despite their known use of child soldiers, declaring in a written memorandum it is "in the national interest of the United States" to override the ban.

Obama also granted partial waivers to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia to allow "International Military Education and Training" and "nonlethal" defense for both countries and "provision of assistance under the Peacekeeping Operations authority for logistical support and troop stipends" in Somalia. According to Think Progress writer Hayes Brown, these waivers open the door for military aid for ongoing "peacekeeping" operations in both these countries.

US soldiers in Africa here, here, here, here, and here....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...rently-has-troops-in-these-african-countries/

Don't me me wrong, I find this a sad situation. However, it isn't much different than about a dozen other African nations. The US record of "helping" war ravaged nations isn't exactly stellar. We have dicked around Somalia for a decade, and now there is a marginal government controlling a capital. So what should the US do? Should we deploy the drone army? Who do we help?

 

[AthenaAwakened]

Somalia has 10M people, which are 98% Muslim. Nigeria has 150M people, and is roughly 50-50 Muslim-Christian. Now consider that Iraq only has 36M people, and is a very open and arid country.

Part of why US aid has been somewhat limited, is that the Nigerian Govt. isn't very nice either:
http://blogs.rollcall.com/five-by-f...itary-aid-to-nigeria-to-hunt-boko-haram/?dcz=


More details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Nigeria

Oct 2013, more aid to government-militaries that utilize under 18 soldiers in the Horn of Africa:
http://www.commondreams.org/news/20...ays-military-aid-countries-use-child-soldiers

On Monday, President Obama issued complete waivers to Yemen, Chad, and South Sudan, opening up those countries to U.S. military aid despite their known use of child soldiers, declaring in a written memorandum it is "in the national interest of the United States" to override the ban.

Obama also granted partial waivers to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia to allow "International Military Education and Training" and "nonlethal" defense for both countries and "provision of assistance under the Peacekeeping Operations authority for logistical support and troop stipends" in Somalia. According to Think Progress writer Hayes Brown, these waivers open the door for military aid for ongoing "peacekeeping" operations in both these countries.

US soldiers in Africa here, here, here, here, and here....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...rently-has-troops-in-these-african-countries/

Don't me me wrong, I find this a sad situation. However, it isn't much different than about a dozen other African nations. The US record of "helping" war ravaged nations isn't exactly stellar. We have dicked around Somalia for a decade, and now there is a marginal government controlling a capital. So what should the US do? Should we deploy the drone army? Who do we help?

"Who do we help?"

Evidently not African nations.

And I think we should just say so.

And just say, we fight wars for the benefit of corporations and their bottom line and we don't give a damn about people, principles, or posterity.

Just say

The US as a stabilizing force in the world is a sham and in actuality, is a dick.

 

[Derec]

....A U.S. problem that (just) might be of interest to the folks in Nebraska.

A bit off topic, but how is what is happening in a dysfunctional third world country like Nigeria relevant to a pipeline project in the US?

Environmentalists should welcome oil projects in the developed countries with rigorous environmental laws and practices rather than pushing a greater share of necessary production onto places like Nigeria.

As to the OP, I do not know what US can do without being accused of imperialism and being the "word policeman" yet again, even if we could afford it in light of already being involved in several conflicts. Yet another hashtag will do about as much as #bringbackourgirls managed to do.

 

[bigfield]

Somalia has 10M people, which are 98% Muslim. Nigeria has 150M people, and is roughly 50-50 Muslim-Christian. Now consider that Iraq only has 36M people, and is a very open and arid country.

Part of why US aid has been somewhat limited, is that the Nigerian Govt. isn't very nice either:
http://blogs.rollcall.com/five-by-f...itary-aid-to-nigeria-to-hunt-boko-haram/?dcz=


More details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Nigeria

Oct 2013, more aid to government-militaries that utilize under 18 soldiers in the Horn of Africa:
http://www.commondreams.org/news/20...ays-military-aid-countries-use-child-soldiers


US soldiers in Africa here, here, here, here, and here....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...rently-has-troops-in-these-african-countries/

Don't me me wrong, I find this a sad situation. However, it isn't much different than about a dozen other African nations. The US record of "helping" war ravaged nations isn't exactly stellar. We have dicked around Somalia for a decade, and now there is a marginal government controlling a capital. So what should the US do? Should we deploy the drone army? Who do we help?

"Who do we help?"

Evidently not African nations.

And I think we should just say so.

And just say, we fight wars for the benefit of corporations and their bottom line and we don't give a damn about people, principles, or posterity.

Just say

The US as a stabilizing force in the world is a sham and in actuality, is a dick.

You made me do this:

[YOUTUBE]32iCWzpDpKs[/YOUTUBE]

 

[funinspace]

Somalia has 10M people, which are 98% Muslim. Nigeria has 150M people, and is roughly 50-50 Muslim-Christian. Now consider that Iraq only has 36M people, and is a very open and arid country.

Part of why US aid has been somewhat limited, is that the Nigerian Govt. isn't very nice either:
http://blogs.rollcall.com/five-by-f...itary-aid-to-nigeria-to-hunt-boko-haram/?dcz=


More details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Nigeria

Oct 2013, more aid to government-militaries that utilize under 18 soldiers in the Horn of Africa:
http://www.commondreams.org/news/20...ays-military-aid-countries-use-child-soldiers


US soldiers in Africa here, here, here, here, and here....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...rently-has-troops-in-these-african-countries/

Don't me me wrong, I find this a sad situation. However, it isn't much different than about a dozen other African nations. The US record of "helping" war ravaged nations isn't exactly stellar. We have dicked around Somalia for a decade, and now there is a marginal government controlling a capital. So what should the US do? Should we deploy the drone army? Who do we help?

"Who do we help?"

Evidently not African nations.

Was that help we gave the non-African Iraqi's? Was that help we gave the non-African Afghans? Was that help we gave the non-African Vietnamese? Is it help we are giving the non-African Syrians? Is it help we are giving the non-African Yemenis? Is it help we are giving the non-African Pakistanis? Maybe African countries in conflict would be better off with less US help, than what we meagerly provide already...

I guess one could argue that we have helped the South Koreans, though certainly not the North Koreans. In fact they are doing quite well as we spend billions upon billions "protecting" them, while they don't have to spend on their own military, but on infrastructure and industry. Not sure how that is helping Detroit though...

And I think we should just say so.

And just say, we fight wars for the benefit of corporations and their bottom line and we don't give a damn about people, principles, or posterity.

Just say

The US as a stabilizing force in the world is a sham and in actuality, is a dick.

That is what I generally say quite a bit...

 

[Loren Pechtel]

I agree with Loren, Nigeria has some government corruption problems therefore we shouldn't have any empathy for innocent victims of horrible senseless violence.


[/asshole]

I said nothing about empathy. I was talking about our ability to actually do something. I'm not interested in finger-pointing, I'm interested in solutions.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

What exactly do those monsters want? I'm assuming they want power, control and the full subjugation of women? I assume the governments are against it, but does the govt have the resources to stop it?

They want what every Islamist group wants--a society with strict Sharia law, with them being the top dogs.


I don't think anyone (even their own government) even knows if Nigeria has the resources to stop it. Their government is so corrupt that they currently aren't able to meaningfully counter it.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Nigeria has major corruption problems. Anything we try to do short of directly deploying force is mostly going to go into the kleptocrats' pockets.

Tell me Loren.

Is there anything that can be done to black people that you feel is so heinous that is rises to level of someone stepping in and at least attempting to stop it?



Boko Haram is the bad party here, not the Nigerian govt. Well maybe when Boko Haram does their first mass killing of white people, it won't be on African soil and won't too many die.

So blacks are angels not capable of having self-caused problems????


Look around the web, the corruption problems with Nigeria are well known. Providing aid that can be stolen is useless in such a situation.

 

[arkirk]

Tell me Loren.

Is there anything that can be done to black people that you feel is so heinous that is rises to level of someone stepping in and at least attempting to stop it?



Boko Haram is the bad party here, not the Nigerian govt. Well maybe when Boko Haram does their first mass killing of white people, it won't be on African soil and won't too many die.

So blacks are angels not capable of having self-caused problems????


Look around the web, the corruption problems with Nigeria are well known. Providing aid that can be stolen is useless in such a situation.

You don't hear of Boko Haram taking control of the oil extraction fields. The oil companies in Nigeria probably get all the protection they need. It appears the Nigerian military is feckless when it comes to protecting the indigenous peoples of the region, but they must surely have a hand in protecting the oil fields. The corruption caused by oil is an important factor. To the oil companies, their smooth operation comes before the lives of the people there. I believe Nigeria has one of the larger armies in the area, yet it must have as its main duty protecting the oil people. The other people...???? Not so much.

I think the Nigerian government is sold out to foreign oil investors.