The location of the riots, as shown on a map of Nigeria and the surrounding area (Enlarge map) Image: OpenStreetMap.
According to a French journalist and the imam of the local mosque, around 400 people have been killed in the riots that erupted due to a dispute in the result of the local elections.
The riots are taking place in the Nigerian city of Jos, which is located between the Christian and Muslim areas of Nigeria.
The elections which sparked the violence, did, according to a rumor spread around the city, result in the predominantly Christian People's Democratic Party beating the All Nigerian Peoples Party, a predominantly Muslim party.
Khaled Abubakar, the imam of the city's central mosque, made an estimate of the death toll. "So far about 400 bodies have been brought to the mosque following the outbreak of violence," he stated. "Families are coming to identify and claim the bodies, while those that cannot be identified or are not claimed by anybody will be interred by the mosque."
A French journalist confirmed the reports of Abubakar, despite the fact that early reports showed only twenty deaths.
Hundreds of people have been killed in the last two days since the riots started. Remains of burned bodies litter some parts of the town. It is so terrible.
—Yakumu Pam, Christian clergyman in Jos
Authorities have not yet confirmed the death toll.
Yakumu Pam, a Christian clergyman in Jos, also commented on the chaos. "Hundreds of people have been killed in the last two days since the riots started," he stated. "Remains of burned bodies litter some parts of the town. It is so terrible."
In an effort to stop the fighting, the army has been ordered to open fire on people, and to create a buffer zone between the Christians and the Muslims.
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This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.
Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.
Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.
Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.
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