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Nigeria: Elections and Human Rights

Date:
Location:
2255 Rayburn House Office Building

Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) for a briefing on human rights and the upcoming elections in Nigeria.

On February 16, 2019, Nigeria will hold its first national elections since the nation’s peaceful transfer of political power in 2015. While pre-election assessments suggest positive developments by electoral stakeholders, many Nigerians expect a close presidential race and possible efforts to manipulate the process. Some fear that a combination of factors could fuel electoral violence.

Nigeria continues to face significant human rights challenges across the country. Though its death toll is down from a peak in 2015, Boko Haram continues to perpetrate human rights violations through suicide bombings, kidnappings and other terrorist-related activities. In Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, the farmer-herder conflict has become the country’s deadliest with an estimated 1,300 people killed in the first six months of 2018. Communal violence and retaliatory attacks by herdsman and farmer groups against one another over limited resources incorporate religious and ethnic dynamics that have further polarized the country. It is estimated that over 1.9 million Nigerians remain internally displaced because of these conflicts. Security force abuses and harassment of journalists are among other issues of potential concern as elections approach. 

Panelists will discuss these human rights challenges within the context of the upcoming elections and address how Congress and the international community can best support the Nigerian people.

This briefing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the interested public, and the media. For any questions, please contact Jamie Staley (for Mr. Hultgren) at (202-226-1516) or Jamie.Staley@mail.house.gov or Kimberly Stanton (for Mr. McGovern) at 202-225-3599 or Kimberly.Stanton@mail.house.gov.

Witnesses

Participants

Panelists:

  • John Tomaszewski, Regional Director for Africa, International Republican Institute
    Written statement
  • Oge Onubogu, Senior Program Office for Africa Programs, U.S. Institute of Peace
    Written statement
  • Kristina Arriaga, Vice-Chair, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
    Written statement

Moderator:

  • Jamie Staley, Senior Professional Staff, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
Meeting Documents

Resources

Videos

Contact The Commission

Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
4150 O'Neill House Office Building
200 C Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20515
United States of America

Phone: +1 (202) 225-3599
Fax: +1 (202) 226-6584
TLHRC@mail.house.gov

Accessibility

The Commission seeks to make its events, meetings and hearings accessible to persons with disabilities.

If you are in need of special accommodations, please call (202) 225-3599 at least four business days in advance.

Questions with regard to special accommodations in general (including availability of Commission materials in alternative formats and assistive listening devices, sign language interpretation, etc.) may be directed to the Commission.

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