Pope
Francis has denounced “shameful” attacks on Christians in Nigeria and the
Central African Republic, calling for an end to “all hate and violence”.
“I
have been profoundly saddened by the massacre recently in Nigeria, inside a
church, where innocent people were killed,” the pontiff said at the end of his
weekly public audience at the Vatican.
“And
sadly again we have news of violence in the Central African Republic against
Christian communities.
“I
hope all forms of hate and violence will cease and such shameful crimes in
places of worship, where the faithful are gathered to pray, will not be
repeated,” he added.
At
least 11 worshippers were gunned down at a church in southeast Nigeria
penultimate Sunday, with authorities suggesting the bloodshed was due to a
local feud.
Attacks
on churches are rare in southern Nigeria, where there is a predominantly
Christian population.
The country’s mainly-Muslim north has been gripped by a violent campaign by Boko Haram jihadists, who specialise in targeting religious centres.
The
violent campaign to impose strict Islamic law has killed at least 20,000 people
and forced some 2.6 million others to flee their homes, sparking a dire
humanitarian crisis in the northeast.
In
the Central African Republic, reports of killings, some targeting aid workers
have prompted the UN to warn of “early signs of a genocide” in the
conflict-wracked nation.
At
least 60 people have been killed in recent weeks in fighting between armed
groups in Ngaoundaye and Batangafo in the north, Kaga-Bandoro in the centre and
Alindao and Gambo to the south, witnesses have told AFP.
The
fighting is largely between groups on opposing sides of the brutal conflict
between Muslim and Christian militias that broke out in CAR in 2013 after
President Francois Bozize was overthrown by a coalition of Muslim-majority
rebel groups called the Seleka.
AFP
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