Violence has rocked the Nigerian city of Jos since a wave of bombings Dec. 24 left 32 dead and some 100 wounded. Riots have pitted Christians against Muslims, with both churches and mosques vandalized, and an estimated 50 more killed. The bombings targeted a Christian market, but also a road leading to a major mosque. Supposed Islamist militants also killed six Christian worshippers in the nearby town of Maiduguri that day. The Joint Military/Police Task Force is patrolling the streets, and is appealing to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama'atul Nasril Islam (JNI) to call off their angry youths.
Authorities also announced tightened security in Abuja, the capital city where bombs had killed several persons on Oct. 1. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) claimed responsibility for the Abuja bombings, but no group has done so for the Christmas eve blasts. (PTI [2], Nigerian Tribune [3], The Nation [4], Lagos, BBC World Service, Dec. 28)
See our last post on Nigeria [5].
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