What a ‘Day of Peace’ Looks Like in Nigeria

The Nigerian aid group Center for Civilians in Conflict marked this year’s U.N. International Day of Peace with a photo exhibit on the conflict in the country’s northeast. The images depict some of the millions of civilians caught up in the 12-year conflict started by militant group Boko Haram. The photo exhibit opened Tuesday morning at the Thought Pyramid Art Center in Abuja. Around 150 visitors arrived in batches to see images taken from scenes of the Boko Haram insurgency and the communities affected by it. Nigeria has been battling the Boko Haram insurgency for 12 years. The fighting has claimed an estimated 350,000 lives, according to the United Nations Development Program, and displaced millions of others. But Boko Haram is not the only group threatening the northeast. Armed criminal groups are becoming more active, often kidnapping people for ransom. Communal clashes over grazing lands are leading to raids and burnings of villages. The Center for Civilians in Conflict says the exhibit aims to raise awareness about these issues with the view of addressing them.

SOURCE: VOA