Scores die in Jos clashes

19 Jan, 2010

Scores of people have died and hundreds more have been injured in clashes between armed groups in the central Nigerian city of Jos. A further 5,000 people have also been displaced by the violence, according to the International Red Cross, and are sheltering in schools, mosques, churches and other public buildings.

It is not clear exactly how many people were killed in the violence; numbers range from the official figure of 20 reported by the local police to 200 reported by international news sources.

Fighting broke out on 17 January in the Nassarawa Gwom neighbourhood of Jos, allegedly following a misunderstanding between a Muslim and a Christian over the rebuilding of a house destroyed during clashes in 2008.

Homes, mosques and churches were burned in the ensuing violence, which spread to other parts of the city.

Nigeria