At least 55 people were killed in two new attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday in Plateau State, northern Nigeria, where deadly intercommunal violence has erupted since Christmas, according to a report by the Nigerian Red Cross and two community leaders.
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Despite a curfew imposed in the local district of Mangu on Tuesday, schools, places of worship and homes were burned and looted in both attacks, community leaders said.
The Mwaghavul Development Association, an organization that brings together members of the Mwaghavul ethnic group, mostly Christians, accused Fulani Muslim herdsmen of attacking the village of Kwahaslalek, killing “around 30 people.”
That figure was confirmed by a local aid official and a humanitarian source on the ground who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.
Police and army spokesmen did not immediately respond to AFP requests for confirmation.
“Two displaced persons camps have been set up in Mangu town for around 1,500 people,” Nurudeen Husaini Magaji, local president of the Nigerian Red Cross, told AFP.
The governor of Plateau announced the curfew on Tuesday after a new clash that authorities attributed to a dispute between a herdsman moving his livestock and other residents using the road.
The second attack also occurred between Tuesday and Wednesday in Mangu town.
Jama'atu Nasril Islam (JNI), a Muslim community organization, said religious places of worship and schools were attacked.
“We have found 25 bodies and are waiting for security force protection to bury them,” Jafaru Musa, one of the local JNI leaders, told AFP by phone.
“We are continuing our search with the support of the Red Cross to see if we can still find the dead, because many people have disappeared,” he added.
This assessment was confirmed by another JNI official, Salim Musa.
Recurring attacks
Located on the dividing line between Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south, Plateau State is a hotbed of inter-communal violence.
Tensions have increased since nearly 200 people were killed in raids on predominantly Christian villages over Christmas.
The clashes in Nigeria's northwest and north-central states stem from communal tensions over land use between nomadic herders and sedentary farmers.
But these types of attacks have expanded into broader criminality.
Heavily armed gangs, locally called bandits, attack villages, loot and kidnap in order to extort ransom.
At Christmas, nearly 200 people were killed in attacks in around twenty villages in Bokkos and Barkin Ladi districts, which border Mangu.
These massacres caused uproar within the country, but also within the international community.
Since then, the region has been the target of repeated attacks, leading to the displacement of thousands of people.
Since coming to power in May, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said tackling insecurity is a priority, particularly with a view to attracting foreign investment to the country.