Beset by school violence, US and Nigeria consider each other's experience

Human stories from a world in conflict. No Images? [Click here]( In this week's newsletter, two religious figures from traditionally opposite communities offer advice on how to come together and forgive — but not forget. Next, gang violence is spiraling out of control in Cameroon. In Nigeria, more than 100 kidnapped girls have been returned home. Also, there are parallels in the issue of school safety in the US and in Nigeria; what can the two countries learn from each others' experiences? Two priests from opposite sides of Northern Ireland's sectarian divide have something to say about forgiveness "How do you forgive somebody who murdered your mother?" Father Paul Farren of Derry, Northern Ireland, asked. "How can you speak about forgiveness in that context? And yet, that's the challenge. You know, [Protestant Archdeacon] Robert [Miller] would have often said, I don't know if it's his own quote or somebody else's, but it's easy to forgive when you have nothing to forgive." Miller feels that the pain from the Troubles remains fresh for many and denying it doesn't help. "It's like saying, 'Right, we're a post-conflict society,' which I don't actually think is true. I think we're still emerging from that conflict," Miller said. We spoke in the parish office on a recent chilly morning. Father Farren was there too, and he was sure to make note of the conditions. "Had we met at my church," Farren said with obvious irony, "we would be enjoying some heat." [Learn more >]( As gang violence escalates in Cameroon, residents are 'not safe anymore' In Douala, the economic capital of this Cameroon, a sad scene is becoming increasingly common: Young men armed with knives, machetes and sticks roam the streets, often murdering, looting and raping in conflicts with other gangs. "The phenomenon of gangs is a gangrene that is flourishing," said Henriette Ekwe, a political analyst, newspaper publisher and founder of Cameroon’s chapter of Transparency International, a corruption and governance watchdog group. "A gendarmerie officer recently confided to me that without knowing the layout of certain neighborhoods, law enforcement officials become easy prey to bandits.” [Learn more >]( Over 100 Nigerian girls kidnapped by Boko Haram return home Early Wednesday morning, militants drove several trucks full of students into the town of Dapchi, where they had originally abducted the girls while posing as soldiers. Nigerian officials have confirmed that 101 girls have returned home, and say it’s the result of the government’s back-channel negotiations, not the payment of a ransom. [Learn more >]( Beset by school violence, US and Nigeria consider each other's experience There are parallels in the issue of school safety in the US and in Nigeria. One set of students was attacked by a classmate, an enemy from within; another was attacked by a jihadist group with a name that loosely translates to "Western education is sin." But, in each case, children sent to school by their parents would not be returning home, their bright futures extinguished within the four walls of a school. [Learn more >]( The Guardian [Vladimir Putin’s politics of eternity]( Since consolidating his power in rigged elections at the start of the decade, the Russian leader has pioneered a politics of fictional threats and invented enemies. Digg [What to read about the 15th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq]( Fifteen years ago today, the US Army and coalition forces invaded Iraq. President George W. Bush made the decision to initiate Operation Iraqi Freedom without either UN authorization or a formal declaration of war from Congress. Though US troops withdrew from Iraq in 2011, the devastating effects of the invasion and subsequent occupation continue to reverberate in Iraq, in America and throughout the world. These six essays look back on the Iraq War and break down its consequences. Washington Post [Bannon oversaw Cambridge Analytica’s collection of Facebook data, according to]([former]([employee]( Cambridge Analytica, a firm that ran data operations for President Trump's 2016 campaign, was banned from Facebook on March 16. Here's what you need to know. The Atlantic [The refugee detectives]( Inside Germany’s high-stakes operation to sort people fleeing death from opportunists and pretenders Public Radio International (PRI) is a global non-profit media company focused on the intersection of journalism and engagement to effect positive change in people’s lives. 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