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Christian-Muslim clashes kill eight in Nigeria
Clashes between Christians and Muslims in eastern Nigeria have killed eight people and seriously wounded 40, with six mosques and one church also burnt, police said on Wednesday."From reports at our disposal, eight people have been killed and 40 others seriously injured in the violence while six mosques and one church were burnt," Taraba state police commissioner said. Fighting broke out Tuesday between Muslim and Christian youths in Wukari, a town in the predominantly Christian Taraba state, over the construction of a mosque on the premises of a local police headquarters. A Christian mob opposed to the mosque razed it. Muslims later responded by attacking a nearby church, leading to the eruption of violent clashes between the two sides. Police sent in reinforcements and calm was restored by Wednesday. Sectarian clashes occur frequently in Nigeria, particularly in the country's north, with hundreds of people killed in violence this year alone. The latest clashes come weeks ahead of the one-year anniversary of an uprising by a militant sect in the northern city of Maiduguri. Nigerian police and troops crushed the uprising by the Boko Haram sect -- which has also been called the Nigerian Taliban -- after four days of street battles that left more than 800 dead. The country's 150 million population is roughly divided in half between Muslims and Christians. Posted by: Fred 2010-07-15 |
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