Fearing suicide bombings, West Africa wants to ban women from wearing veils

(Baonghean.vn) - On December 17, state and government leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (CEDEAO) agreed on a ban on Muslim women wearing veils due to concerns about the increasing wave of suicide bombings.

The wearing of full-face veils by Muslim women has been banned in many West African countries due to fears of suicide bombings. Photo: AFP

In a final statement issued at the CEDEAO Summit in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, West African countries agreed to take “appropriate measures to prohibit the wearing of clothing that makes it difficult for the authorities to identify individuals.” According to analysts, the decision would be an unprecedented step in a region with a large Muslim majority like West Africa.

The 15 CEDEAO leaders said that some people wear certain types of clothing that make it difficult for people to identify the person in front of them and not know whether to take precautions to protect their safety and property.

The Republic of Congo was the first country to ban the wearing of full-face veils in early May. Chad followed suit in June after a double suicide bombing in N'Djamena by the Boko Haram terrorist group. Cameroon and Niger banned veils in areas frequently targeted by suicide bombers in July.

It is known that the above decision was made in the face of the increasing wave of suicide bombings in West African countries, which is being orchestrated by the terrorist group Boko Haram. This terrorist group does not hesitate to use women, teenagers and children to wrap bombs on their bodies and then detonate them in public places such as markets, bus stations, mosques, etc. to cause the most casualties.

Chu Thanh

(According to Le Parisien)