Sectarian Clashes Kill 21 in Central, Northern Nigeria

Gunmen Launch Round of Attacks Against Troops, Civilians

by Jason Ditz, October 10, 2012

Fresh off of claims of military massacres over the past few days in Nigeria a new round of sectarian attacks were reported, with a group of gunmen killing at least 21 people across the northern and central portion of the nation.

The attackers targeted members of the Nigerian military and also attacked civilians from the predominantly Christian ethnic group in the Plateau state.

Police say that they have received some information about the killings, but no arrests have yet been made. They declined to offer any details about what they no, but sectarian riots have been common in Nigeria.

Plateau state in particular has been torn by violence, as one of the few “mixed” states in a nation where most Christians live in the north and most Muslims in the south. Militant faction Boko Haram has been keen to exploit underlying tensions with attacks, but it is unclear if they are involved in today’s incidents.

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