The Nigeria religious Riots....[ 561 ]

'Deaths mounting' in Nigeria religious riots in Jos

BBC at 15:58 GMT, Tuesday, 19 January 2010 At least 149 people have been killed during two days of violence between Christian and Muslim gangs in the Nigerian city of Jos, officials say. Mosque workers and Muslim clerics told reporters of the deaths as they prepared for a mass burial. The death toll has not been verified independently and it is not known how many Christians have died. The clashes broke out on Sunday and have continued since, with reports of gunfire and burning buildings. A 24-hour curfew has been enforced in the area, which has seen several bouts of deadly violence in recent years. At least 200 people were killed in clashes between Muslims and Christians in 2008, while some 1,000 died in 2001. The current violence has forced at least 3,000 people from their homes. It was thought about 20 people had died in the violence on Sunday. But Balarabe Dawud, head of the Central Mosque in Jos, told AFP news agency he had now counted 192 bodies since Sunday. Muhammad Tanko Shittu, a mosque worker who was helping to prepare mass burials, told Reuters he had counted 149 bodies. "On Sunday evening, we buried 19 corpses and 52 yesterday. As of right now, there are 78 at the mosque yet to be buried," he said. Anglican Archbishop of Jos Benjamin Kwashi told the BBC that the situation was improving in the city centre, where security forces have been deployed. But the violence spread beyond the city boundaries on Tuesday to neighbouring areas. Jos is in Nigeria's volatile Middle Belt - between the mainly Muslim north and the south where the majority is Christian or follows traditional religions. Correspondents say such clashes in Nigeria are often blamed on sectarianism. However poverty and access to resources such as land often lie at the root of the violence.