More than 50 people were killed in two attacks in the center of the country

In Nigeria, at least 55 people were killed in two new attacks, on Tuesday January 23 and Wednesday January 24, in Plateau State (centre), the scene of deadly inter-communal violence since Christmas, we learned on Thursday from local officials of the Nigerian Red. Cross. Even as a curfew was imposed in Mangu district on Tuesday, schools, places of worship and houses were burnt and vandalized in both attacks, community leaders said.

The Mwaghavul Development Association, an association of members of the Mwaghavul (predominantly Christian) ethnic group, has accused Fulani (Fulani) Muslim herdsmen of attacking and killing Kwahslalek village. “about thirty people”. The report was confirmed to AFP by a local relief official and a humanitarian source on the ground, on condition of anonymity.

“Two camps have been set up for about 1,500 displaced people in Mangu town”, the local president of the Nigerian Red Cross, Nuruddin Husseini Magaji, told AFP. The governor of Plateau announced a curfew on Tuesday after fresh clashes broke out over a dispute between a breeder moving his cattle and other residents using the road, according to officials.

Another attack took place between Tuesday and Wednesday in the town of Mangu. Jamaat Nasril Islam (JNI), a Muslim community organization, said religious places and schools were attacked.

“We found 25 dead bodies, we are waiting for security forces to bury them”Jafaru Musa, one of JNI’s local leaders, told AFP. “Several of us were killed”He said after the discovery of the bodies in a mosque, which has since been secured by the army: “We are continuing our search with the support of the Red Cross to see if we can still find the dead, as many people have disappeared. ».

Seventeen people arrested

Police and military spokesmen did not respond to AFP requests for confirmation. Police presented 17 arrested people to reporters, whom they accuse of taking part in attacks over the Christmas period and other recent violence in the area. “The area is highly secured by security forces”Deputy Inspector General Ebong Eyibio assured journalists. “All is quiet now, soldiers are everywhere”Yusuf Abdulashi, a resident of Mangu, said.

Plateau State, located on the dividing line between Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south, is a hotbed of inter-ethnic violence. Tensions have risen since raids on predominantly Christian villages killed nearly 200 people over Christmas.

Clashes in the northern and central states of Nigeria stem from communal tensions between nomadic pastoralists and sedentary farmers linked to land use. But such attacks have resulted in widespread criminality. Heavily armed gangs, locally known as “bandits”, attack villages, carry out looting and kidnap for ransom.

Around 20 villages in Bokkos and Barkin Ladi districts, neighboring Manguni, were affected by the attack around Christmas time. These massacres caused an uproar in the country, but also in the international community. Since then, the region has experienced repeated attacks, which have displaced thousands of people.

Since coming to power in May, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made the fight against insecurity his priority, especially with a view to attracting foreign investment into the country.