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In a significant diplomatic move, United States Congressman Riley Moore on Wednesday visited Benue State, where he held direct interactions with victims of prolonged herdsmen attacks living in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and listened to heart-wrenching accounts of violence that has ravaged Christian farming communities for years.
During the visit, Moore, who represents West Virginia’s 2nd congressional district, described the scale of destruction, displacement, and loss of lives he witnessed as “shocking and unacceptable,” stressing that the world can no longer remain silent while thousands continue to suffer in camps with little hope of returning to their ancestral lands.
Speaking after touring some of the camps and meeting with survivors, the congressman vowed to take the stories he heard back to Washington and push for greater international attention and concrete intervention to end the cycle of violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, particularly in Benue, Plateau, and Southern Kaduna.
Benue State, often referred to as the Food Basket of the Nation, has been one of the worst-hit areas in the decade-long conflict, with over 1.8 million people still displaced and hundreds of communities completely sacked.
Local leaders and camp coordinators who received the American lawmaker expressed profound gratitude for the visit, describing it as a rare moment of global solidarity that gives them hope that their plight is finally penetrating the corridors of power beyond Nigeria.
Congressman Moore’s trip comes at a time when the government of Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia is intensifying efforts to resettle IDPs and implement lasting peace initiatives, but residents insist that without strong international pressure and support, the attacks may never end.
As the congressman departs Benue, there is cautious optimism among victims and advocates that this high-profile visit could mark a turning point in drawing sustained global focus and action toward resolving one of Nigeria’s most protracted humanitarian crises.
