After lurching from one military coup to another, Nigeria now has an elected leadership. But the government faces the growing challenge of preventing Africas most populous country from breaking apart along ethnic and religious lines. Political liberalisation ushered in by the return to civilian rule in 1999 has been followed by militants from religious and ethnic groups pursuing their demands through violence. Thousands of people have died over the past few years in communal attacks led by the al-Qaeda ally Boko Haram. Separatist aspirations have also been growing, prompting reminders of the bitter civil war over the breakaway Biafran republic in the late 1960s. Nigeria is a major producer of oil
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 07:54:57 +0000