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Nigerian city tense after riots Nigerian city tense after riots
(about 8 hours later)
Sporadic gunfire has been heard in the central Nigerian city of Jos, where hundreds are feared dead following two days of religious and ethnic clashes. At least 200 people have been killed in the Nigerian town of Jos after two days of violence, officials say.
An eyewitness told the BBC that 10 more killings had taken place but a Red Cross spokesman said the situation was much calmer as troops kept order. A curfew has been imposed by police and army officers in the worst-hit neighbourhoods, and an army spokesman said the fighting was over.
Muslims have begun burying their dead while the Christian community is still counting its casualties. However, aid workers reported that gunshots were still heard on Sunday, while medical and water supplies were running low.
The violence was sparked by accusations that an election had been rigged.The violence was sparked by accusations that an election had been rigged.
Nigerian police and soldiers were patrolling the streets on Sunday with orders to shoot on sight any troublemakers. Homes were destroyed during the clashes, with mosques and churches burned, as gangs of men from the Muslim Hausa community and the mainly Christian ethnic groups, armed with machetes fought.
Jos has seen repeated bouts of inter-communal violence, with more than 1,000 killed during riots in 2001. The information minister for Plateau State, Nuhu Gagara, said about 200 people died.
"This figure is just preliminary, as a search and rescue committee has been inaugurated by the government to go around the city and recover dead bodies," Mr Gagara told reporters.
Police arrested 500 people on Saturday, carrying "all sorts of lethal weapons," he added.
Buildings were burnt during the two days of violence The BBC's Alex Last in Lagos says the death toll may be far higher. There is no figure for the number of injured.
The local imam at the mosque where Muslims brought their dead said the number was in the hundreds.
At the Vatican, Roman Catholic Church leader Pope Benedict included Nigerian victims in his prayers on Sunday and urged the world to express "horror and disapproval" at the senseless violence.At the Vatican, Roman Catholic Church leader Pope Benedict included Nigerian victims in his prayers on Sunday and urged the world to express "horror and disapproval" at the senseless violence.
Machete attacks Political power
"The situation this morning is gradually returning to normal," army spokesman Brig Emeka Onwamaegbu told AFP news agency on Sunday. Army spokesman Brig Emeka Onwamaegbu earlier told AFP news agency that there were no more violent incidents on Sunday, but Oxfam co-ordinator Francis Ayinzat told the BBC he heard gunshots before leaving the town for the capital, Abuja.
"There's not been any cases this morning of any destruction or violence." "There is a very severe shortage of medical supplies, and a lot of people are going without water," Mr Ayinzat said.
Violence flared up on Friday after the mostly Christian-backed governing party, the People's Democratic Party, was declared to have won the state elections in Plateau state, of which Jos is the capital city.Violence flared up on Friday after the mostly Christian-backed governing party, the People's Democratic Party, was declared to have won the state elections in Plateau state, of which Jos is the capital city.
The result was contested by the opposition All Nigeria People's Party, which is perceived in the state as a predominantly Muslim party.The result was contested by the opposition All Nigeria People's Party, which is perceived in the state as a predominantly Muslim party.
Groups of men from both the Muslim Hausa community and the other, mainly Christian ethnic groups took to the streets armed with machetes during the riots. Jos has seen repeated bouts of inter-communal violence, with more than 1,000 killed during riots in 2001.
Houses, mosques and churches were burned and the Muslim dead were brought into the central mosque from the streets where they were killed. The real trigger for the violence is usually competition for resources, our correspondent says.
The local imam said the number of dead was in the hundreds. And in Nigeria political office is perhaps the most powerful resource of all as it gives the holder access to some of country's huge oil revenues.
It is still not clear how many died among the other ethnic groups involved in the fighting whose dead were taken to the city's morgues.
While ethnic and religious violence has claimed thousands of lives in Nigeria in recent years, the real trigger for the violence is usually competition for resources, the BBC's Alex Last reports from Lagos.
And in Nigeria political office is perhaps the most powerful resource of all as it gives the holder access to some of country's huge oil revenues, our correspondent adds.