The Plateau tragedy, Nigeria (2023)

When the world’s silence costs innocent lives

Between 23 and 25 December 2023, while much of the world was preparing to celebrate Christmas, Plateau State in central Nigeria became the scene of one of the bloodiest series of attacks in the country’s recent history. Armed militias carried out coordinated attacks on dozens of Christian villages in the Bokkos, Barkin Ladi and Mangu regions.

Plateau State (in red), in central Nigeria. Map: Uwe Dedering and Profoss, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

What happened

The attacks targeted at least 17–25 rural communities, mostly Christian, leaving behind a reality that is hard to put into words. The toll was devastating:

• Nearly 200 people killed, among them women and children.
• More than 500 injured and thousands of homes destroyed.
• Tens of thousands displaced; the Nigerian Red Cross reported more than 32,000 people affected.

Leading international media — Reuters, Vatican News, Christian Solidarity Worldwide and International Christian Concern — documented the rising toll step by step, from 113 deaths initially confirmed to nearly 200. A later report by Amnesty International Nigeria estimated that between December 2023 and February 2024 the total number of victims in the area reached 1,336 people.

Photo: AFP, via Vatican News — archive image taken before the 2023 attacks.

The children — the innocent victims of hatred

Children were hit hardest. Many survived the massacres only to be left orphaned, forced to find shelter in orphanages, carrying wounds no child should ever know.

In response to this tragedy, Clean Water Foundation, based in Oradea, Romania, decided not to remain a bystander. Our foundation provided financial and material support to those orphaned Christian children who survived these events and ended up in orphanages. This was done together with Kenward Development Foundation in Nigeria, our local partner, who made it possible for the aid to reach those in need directly.

What we believe

Our foundation firmly believes that events like these can be prevented by the wisdom of genuine statesmen, and that such tragedies should not happen anywhere in the world.

We believe a true leader does not stoke conflicts but resolves them. The world does not need performers; it needs people who find solutions — people who do not give free rein to their emotions, but show real restraint and self-control. We need authentic leaders who come not to shine, but to deliver results.

How you can help

We ask for your support so that we can sustain similar projects in the future. Every contribution lets us reach children who have lost everything and give them a chance at a life of dignity. Together we can turn outrage into action, and compassion into concrete help.