Sectarian killings plague Nigerian region
New pattern of religiously motivated violence is tearing apart communities that have lived together in peace.
Fourteen members of one family were killed in Nigeria’s Plateau state in what appears to be a religiously motivated attack.
Locals say the victims were shot or hacked to death by Muslim herdsmen. To villagers, this is part of a cycle of revenge killings that have left dozens of people dead in the last two weeks.
Killings motivated by religion, or battles for land, have dogged the area for many years, but there now appears to be a new pattern that is pitting communities which have lived together for decades against each other.
The murders are another blow for Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s president, who is also dealing with an increase in bombings, including last month’s attack on the United Nations compound in Abuja, the capital.
Al Jazeera correspondent Emike Umolu reports from Nigeria.
WARNING: This report contains some disturbing images.