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Nigeria Mass Murder: Christians slaughtered in Reprisal Attacks

by Sudha Krishna | March 8, 2010 at 12:09 pm

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Mass Killings in Jos, Nigeria: Christians Murdered by Muslims in Reprisal Attacks

Groups of men armed with machetes slaughtered at least 200 to 500 people. Among the dead include an infant and four day old baby in central Nigeria, an area torn by sectarian violence between Christians and Muslims.

Apparently, the latest wave of attacks against Christians was revenge for January attacks in Jos against mostly Muslims.

Mark Lipdo, a program coordinator for the Stefanos Foundation, a Christian aid group, confirmed 93 dead in Dogo Nahawa village alone.

"These are the ones we know, but there are corpses charred beyond recognition," he said.

The youngest was just 3 months old, Lipdo said. Residents there also said the dead included a 4-day-old infant.

Sectarian Violence Rocks Central Nigeria

Jos sits at the boundary between Muslim and Christian regions of Nigeria and has been under curfew since January as it has increasingly become flash point for bloody clashes.

Gregory Yenlong, state commissioner for information in Plateau state, said: "Soldiers are patrolling and everywhere remains calm … we are estimating 500 people killed but I think it should be a little bit above that."

Acting President Goodluck Jonathan called an emergency meeting with all security service chiefs to discuss strategies to prevent clashes spreading to neighbouring states.

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Uwe Paschen

at 20:55 on March 8th, 2010

This reminds one of the Biafra war in the late 60s early 70s in Nigeria.Like then today Nigeria still has those same economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions among the various peoples of Nigeria.