afrol News, 20 January - The death toll after four days of religious clashes in Nigeria has risen to over 400 as the country’s troops are send in to help calm the boiling tempers.

Latest reports have pointed out the clashes between the Muslim and Christian gangs have killed at least over 450 people in Plateau state, since fighting began on Sunday.

The Nigerian government sent in troops to the capital, Jos and neighbouring towns as fears of spreading violence became apparent, according to media reports.

A dusk to dawn curfew was imposed in the capital to bring back normalcy and calm down the city.

The violence broke out on Sunday morning between rival Christian and Muslim gangs, setting fire to mosques, churches and other buildings. Sunday's clashes reportedly erupted after Christian youths protested against the building of a mosque in the Christian-dominated Nassarawa Gwom district of the city.

In November 2008 hundreds of people were killed in two days of violence triggered by a rumour that the majority-Muslim All Nigeria People’s Party had lost a local election to the mainly Christian Peoples Democratic Party. Soldiers and policemen were brought in to restore order.

More than 200 ethnic groups generally live peacefully side by side in the West African country, although civil war left one million people dead between 1967 and 1970 and there have been bouts of religious unrest since then.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with about 150-million people, is evenly divided between the mainly Muslim north and mainly Christian south.

By staff writer

© afrol News

Related pages and feature

Current afrol News Top Stories