Nigerian Muslims look to Ramadan for peace after US strikes

The northern Nigerian state where the United States staged Christmas Day air strikes targeting Islamist militants is preparing for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and trying to banish thoughts of the violence that has plagued the region.

Sokoto state is home to Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, the spiritual head of Muslims in Nigeria, who typically announces the start of Ramadan in the west African country, during which Muslims fast for 29 to 30 days.

Largely spared insurgency and banditry, unlike other states, Muslim-majority Sokoto was the site of surprise US air strikes on December 25, which Nigerian authorities said targeted “two major Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist enclaves” in the state’s Tangaza district.

The Abu Hurairah central mosque in the state capital was packed on Friday when AFP visited. Hundreds of people, including children, defied the sweltering heat to attend prayers.

With Ramadan so close, the imam emphasised brotherhood, charity and togetherness.

Several worshippers told AFP they were shocked by the US strikes, just 75 kilometres (about 47 miles) away. But they are clutching to cautious optimism that the holy month would mark the beginning of enduring peace.

“It is a new thing in this part of the country, having air strikes or bomb explosions. It only happened once, when (fellow Islamist militant group) Boko Haram was at its peak,” Ahmad Mustapha, a 37-year-old doctor, told AFP after Friday prayers.

“People are praying vehemently that the insurgency comes to an end.”

For Umaru Riskuwa, 59, the custodian of the mosque, Ramadan offers “those who take insurgency as their business” an opportunity to make “people feel peace in their heart”.

– Busy streets, bustling markets –

The city’s main market bustled on Friday afternoon as shoppers jostled through heavy traffic.

The streets remained busy at 8:00 pm, with many shops and businesses still open.

Elsewhere in the city, religious leaders gathered at a government-hosted one-day “capacity-building” workshop ahead of the fasting.

Some researchers have linked some members of the armed group known as Lakurawa — the main jihadist group located in Sokoto state — to Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), but other analysts have disputed the links.

“Hopefully, people are going to do Ramadan in a peaceful way,” said Aminu Muhammad, a 43-year-old trader at the Sokoto Central Market. “Things are going normal. We don’t expect any evil thing to happen.”

State governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto said last week the government had distributed bags of maize and cash support to 1,000 people ahead of Ramadan. He vowed “continuous food and cash support” for “families affected by banditry” — the word commonly used for the violence racking the region.

With more than nine in 10 people in the region living below the poverty line in 2022, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, the effort may be only a drop in the bucket.

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