Monday, January 31, 2011

At least 15 dead in new religious clashes in Nigeria

At least 15 people have been killed in renewed fighting between Christians and Muslims in the town of Jos in central Nigeria, local media reported Wednesday. In addition, several buildings and shops, including two gas stations and an educational center, were burnt when members of the Hausa youths, a Muslim group, clashed with students at the University of Jos.

"The problem began when young people attending a funeral in Hausa a cemetery just behind a dorm stabbed two tenants, "said University Vice Chancellor, Professor Sonni Tyoden." The stabbing caused a student protest, during which 14 students were shot, the treaties which are already being shot in the Bingham University Hospital, "said Tyoden.

The vice president said he was unsure if students were shot by soldiers from the Special Task Force deployed to the area to curb youth violence or Hausa. For his part, General Hassan Umaru, the Special Task Force, denied that its soldiers had shot dead the 15, but admitted that "four students were shot as hundreds of young people were moving their troops." This latest fighting comes just days after the advocacy organization Human Rights Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report stating that at least 200 people died in a wave of violence between Christians and Muslims in the State Plateau.

According to HRW, the victims, including some children, were attacked with axes and burned alive.

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