On Monday 6 June, the EU condemned the massacre of worshippers that had taken place the day before by armed groups in a Catholic church in Owo (Ondo State, south-west Nigeria).
“The European Union is shocked by and condemns the armed attack (...) in which scores of defenceless worshippers were killed”, said the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, in a statement issued on behalf of the EU27.
“The unacceptable attacks by non-state armed groups are becoming recurrent in various parts of Nigeria and the senseless violence has now spread to the hitherto peaceful state of Ondo”, said Borrell. He expressed the EU’s solidarity with the people of Ondo and stressed that “those responsible for this despicable act should be speedily brought to justice”.
“The EU remains committed to working with the Nigerian authorities to stop this spiral of violence and find a lasting solution”, Borrell said. In particular, it wants to emphasise the protection of the fundamental rights of all people, “including the right to worship and freedom of religion or belief”.
The European Parliament, for its part, added an item to its agenda on Wednesday 8 June: an exchange with the European Commission and the Council of the EU on the massacre of Christians in Nigeria. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)