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Hundreds Dead in Nigeria

October 14, 2001

HUNDREDS DEAD IN NIGERIA AS ANTI-U.S. DEMONSTRATIONS ESCALATE

"Non-Muslims fled to police stations and army barracks, where they huddled for safety after dozens of churches were set on fire."

LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN - 14 October 1558GMT) -- Hundreds of people have been killed in religious clashes after anti-U.S. protests turned violent, sources have told CNN.

The demonstrations against the U.S.-led missile strikes on Afghanistan began peacefully on Friday but spiralled into a killing spree during Saturday, CNN's Lagos bureau chief Jeff Koinange said.

Some of the unrest in the mainly Muslim city of Kano in northern Nigeria was attributed to traditional Muslim-Christian tensions, he added.

Most of the slaughtered were Christians, with many more injured. Non-Muslims fled to police stations and army barracks, where they huddled for safety after dozens of churches were set on fire.

Some residents were being ferried in buses under military escort to Sabon Gari where most non-Muslim immigrants live. Community leaders said rioters killed at least six female secondary school students who were on their way to sit university entrance exams.

A curfew had been in effect from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time on Saturday, and police have been ordered to shoot-to-kill any curfew violators. Military tanks were patrolling the streets.

Koinange said: "The death toll is in the hundreds, officials say, despite a curfew, which people have ignored."

He added the military were overwhelmed, seemingly unable to control the rampage.

More soldiers were being sent to the city, but it mirrored a similar incident last week when the army delayed sending any forces in the belief that they could control the situation.

A Sabon Gari resident speaking by telephone told Reuters news agency: "As I speak with you now, I can see a body burning in the street. "He appears to be a Muslim who strayed into Sabon Gari."

Koinange said it was unclear what had sparked the killings, but added Muslims had been "agitated" for several weeks.

Nigeria's population of about 120 million is split almost evenly between Muslims and Christians.

Although Saturday's violence was linked to the bombardment of Afghanistan, it followed a familiar pattern of deadly religious clashes that have rocked Nigeria over the past two years, killing thousands. The introduction of Islamic sharia law in some northern states triggered Muslim-Christian fighting in cities in the region.
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Source: http://www.middleeast.org/articles/2001/10/463.htm