Israel–Iran War: Why Should Africa Care When Nigeria Is Bleeding?

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by saharaweeklyng.com

As Israel and Iran plunge into open war, global powers are on edge and international newsrooms are in overdrive. Headlines scream about nuclear threats, oil prices, and regional instability, but here’s a harder question we Africans must ask:

Why are Nigerians, Africans, and even our governments more concerned about Tel Aviv and Tehran when corpses are piling up in Benue, Borno, Katsina, and the Congo?

We have not only failed to secure our borders but have also normalized our own bloodbaths. Yet we stretch our necks toward the Middle East like loyal houseboys watching the master’s house burn while ours is already in ashes.

1. The Israel–Iran War: Yes, It Matters Globally

To be clear, the Israel–Iran conflict is no small fight.

Israel has launched massive air raids on Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure.

Iran responded with ballistic missiles, drones, and cyberattacks.

Global oil prices are soaring. Security analysts warn of possible regional implosion involving Hezbollah, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and even NATO states.

This war threatens global stability, from energy markets to international diplomacy.

But for Nigeria (and for Africa) is this where we must channel our loudest outrage?

2. Meanwhile in Nigeria: The Massacre Nobody Notices

Benue State: Land of Blood and Abandonment

On April 7, 2023, gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen slaughtered over 134 people in Benue State, mostly in the villages of Umogidi, Apa LGA, and Mgban in Guma LGA. Survivors told horror stories of children butchered in their sleep and bodies burned beyond recognition.

Governor H. Alia cried to the Federal Government. The Presidency said… nothing.

Borno: Home of Endless Terror

In Konduga LGA, Borno State, at least 18 farmers were beheaded by Boko Haram insurgents in November 2024, their bodies left on farmland as warning signs. In the same period, several bombings and raids by ISWAP killed civilians and soldiers in Damboa and Dikwa.

Yet media houses barely flashed these images across screens. No candlelight vigils in Lagos. No flags flying half-mast.

Katsina: Bandits Reign Supreme

On May 9, 2025, armed bandits stormed the Gidan Boka and Kankara areas of Katsina State. The death toll? More than 50 villagers. Several others were abducted. They killed, looted, and vanished into forests like ghosts of anarchy. It’s no longer even shocking.

Where were the GLOBAL TEARS? Where were the DIPLOMATIC CALLS for CEASEFIRE?

3. Congo: The Forgotten Holocaust of Our Time

While Israel gets $14 billion in U.S. aid and Iran threatens nuclear revenge, Congo remains the world’s most deadly, most ignored warzone.

In Eastern DRC, over 6 million people have died since 1996, a figure greater than Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria combined.

On January 3, 2024, M23 rebels backed by Rwanda slaughtered at least 37 civilians in Kishishe village in North Kivu.

In March 2025, over 300 civilians were massacred in Ituri Province by the CODECO militia, many hacked with machetes.

The United Nations calls Congo a “SILENT GENOCIDE.”

Nobel Laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege calls it “The RAPE CAPITAL of the WORLD.”

So, tell me, where is our outrage? Why aren’t African leaders calling emergency summits? Why are we silent while our people rot?

4. The Hypocrisy of African Diplomacy

When Israel struck Iran, Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned it with immediate urgency. Still, when Nigerians are killed in Benue, Borno, or Katsina, and in the Eastern parts of Nigeria, our leaders issue vague “WE WILL INVESTIGATE” press statements and return to Abuja cocktail parties.

We condemn Gaza bombings but ignore Zamfara villages burnt to ashes. We mourn Israeli civilians but scroll past 10,000 Congolese displaced in one weekend.

This is not foreign policy. This is colonial mimicry. We weep for Paris when our own cities are bleeding.

5. Expert Voices: Wake Up and Look Within

Dr. Chidi Odinkalu, former NHRC Chairman:

“You cannot lead in foreign affairs when your backyard is ablaze. Africa must fix its own hemorrhaging wounds before trying to bandage the Middle East.”

Prof. Mahmood Mamdani, Columbia University:

“Congo is the heart of Africa and its destruction is our moral indictment. No nation can outsource its conscience and survive.”

Dr. Akinyemi Adesina, Nigerian Conflict Analyst:

“The biggest war Africa is losing isn’t military. It’s the war of attention. We let CNN tell us what to cry about.”

6. What Should Nigeria Do Instead?

Face our own fires

We must strengthen local intelligence, rebuild our police system, fund border protection, and invest in modern technology, not donate statements to Tel Aviv or Tehran.

Convene African solutions

Instead of echoing Western fears, Nigeria should call for African-led peace missions in Congo, Sudan, and Burkina Faso. Let us form our own “AU Peace Shield,” not wait for France, China, or America to babysit our chaos.

Build a Pan-African Media Voice

If Al Jazeera can project Qatar’s voice, why can’t Nigeria lead the charge in building a Pan-African media bloc that puts Congo, Benue, and Borno on every screen in Africa and beyond?

7. The War of Narrative: Who Gets to Be a Victim?

Let’s be blunt: the world does not value African lives the same way it values Israeli or Ukrainian lives.

40 CONGOLESE VILLAGERS DIE? It’s “tribal conflict.”

3 ISRAELIS DIE? It’s “a terror attack against civilization.”

This racist double standard is echoed even by us, the victims.

Until we value our own people, no one else will.

8. Final take: Charity Begins at Home or It Dies There

Let the world worry about Israel and Iran. Let Nigeria first worry about Benue, Borno, Katsina, Zamfara, and Plateau. And we Africans worry for Congo.

We don’t oppose caring about global peace, but how can a man with a bleeding wound argue about the neighbor’s broken pipe? This is hypocrisy dressed as diplomacy.

George Omagbemi Sylvester is a political columnist based in South Africa. He writes regularly on African conflicts, diaspora issues, and African international affairs.

Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com