Nigeria Counts 100 Deaths over Danish Caricatures

Violence over the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that has resulted in more than 100 deaths in Nigeria offers an example of global issues impinging on the country’s domestic politics. The country’s Muslims and Christians have a history of tension, and the cartoons prompted tit-for-tat violence. Political analysts suggest that, in Nigeria, the cartoon controversy functioned as a pretext for resolving old grievances that have taken on new urgency during a time of political instability. The Ibo Christian population, which made a failed bid for independence during Nigeria’s civil war in late 1960s, and the Hausas Muslims are locked in bitter opposition exacerbated by the cartoon crisis. President Olusegun Obasanjo cannot run for reelection without amending the constitution, and the transfer of leadership imposes uncertainty, adding challenges to Nigeria’s ongoing struggle to integrate more than 200 different ethnic groups. – YaleGlobal