Accurate Storytelling

Be trauma informed

Sometimes those who have experienced violence are full of ethnic hatred and rage which over decades turns into generational trauma. This can lead an ethnic community to believe that all the violence it commits is self-defence and all the violence the other ethnic group commits is terrorism. Each group seeks outside allies to help them fight their opponents. This pattern can be seen from some of the diaspora groups, some youth associations, and some people who gather selective statistics and data rather than documenting the suffering of all people.

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Care for all people

Support organisations who care for all people, regardless of ethnicity or religion.  For some examples see https://www.wholetruthnigeria.net/nigerian-voices-for-peace

 

Be wary of fundraising

Fundraising affects the narrative. While there has been genuine severe persecution of Christians for their faith in Borno State and other places where Boko Haram and ISWAP are active, there are other parts of Nigeria where ethnic groups who identify as Christian are in violent conflict over land. For example, the Berom versus Fulani conflict over access to land in Plateau has been going on for 25 years, both groups committing killings, but many people and organisations are fundraising by calling it genocide of Christians on social media.

 

Stop being an accomplice of ethnic profiling and ethnic cleansing

Official statements, policy documents, political speeches, sermons etc need to stop being an accomplice of ethnic profiling and cleansing.  The profiling an ethnic group as terrorists and expressing support for one side of a conflict whilst demonizing the other is emboldening murder.  Such is the hate that innocent people are being attacked and killed just for being a member of an ethnic group.

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Condemn all criminality

All criminality should be condemned, regardless of the ethnicity or religion of the perpetrator or the victim. For example, state that all violence against Fulani, Berom, Mwaghavul, Igbo, Igala, Kamuku, etc. is unacceptable.

 

Don’t add to the violence, don’t add to the weapons.

Instead of adding to the violence by supplying "defence" equipment or carrying out strikes of their own, countries should invest in relief, small-business startup capital and trauma healing for people from every ethnic group and every religious group.

 

Listen to all voices

People from every ethnic group and every religion are suffering, but what you hear depends on who you listen to.  It is not that Christians are more targeted, it is that their stories are more shared in the West.  As Christians, we believe that every person is made in the image of God and that every life matters, regardless of faith or ethnicity.

 

Muslims are suffering too, Herders are suffering too.

In every location where attention is drawn to the suffering of Christians or farmers, there are stories of herders and Muslims suffering too.  These stories need to be heard and shared too.  For example, https://www.wholetruthnigeria.net/attacks-on-fulani.  It is good that Amnesty International has drawn attention to some of these situations, but embassy staff, church leaders and politicians need to do so as well. https://www.wholetruthnigeria.net/fulani-in-crisis

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Empowering educated Fulɓe Christian youths:

There are many educated Fulɓe Christian youths who are passionate about contributing to peace, unity, and positive change in Nigeria. Some of us have formed youth groups where we discuss practical ways of addressing insecurity and promoting peaceful coexistence. However, many of these young people still lack the necessary knowledge, skills, mentorship, and resources to turn their ideas into sustainable initiatives.

 

Using film and storytelling to challenge stereotypes

 Some youths are exploring the idea of developing a Fulɓe-focused film and media industry, producing content in both English and Fulfulde. The aim is to tell authentic stories about Fulɓe communities, highlight positive values, document peaceful ways of life, and help the wider world understand that Fulɓe people should not be collectively associated with criminality, banditry, or terrorism. Such platforms could also amplify Fulɓe voices that promote peace.

 

Local herders seeking peaceful solutions

Many local herders are making efforts to reduce farmer-herder conflicts and find peaceful ways of living alongside farming communities. However, their voices and local initiatives are often not sufficiently heard or supported. Their experiences and solutions need to be taken seriously because they understand the realities of these conflicts at the grassroots level.

 

Engaging local communities directly

If international partners, including the United States, genuinely want to contribute to ending farmer-herder conflicts and insecurity, they should engage directly with local herders, farmers, traditional leaders, youth, and other community stakeholders. Solutions designed mainly from urban centres or from only one side of the conflict may not adequately address the realities on the ground.

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Creating platforms for dialogue

Fulɓe youths and community members are increasingly interested in creating spaces where herders, farmers, religious leaders, youths, and other communities can openly discuss their grievances and identify peaceful, locally relevant solutions rather than allowing mistrust and stereotypes to deepen.