11 killed in central Nigeria village attacks

4/7/2013

JOS, Nigeria — Officials in central Nigeria say at least 11 people have been killed in ongoing fighting between Christian and Muslim villagers in the region.

The attacks centered around the volatile city of Jos, where thousands have been killed since Nigeria became a democracy in 1999.

In the first attack Saturday, Muslim Hausa-Fulani people living in the Karkashi village say people from a neighboring Tarok Christian village raided their homes. Military spokesman Capt. Mustafa Salisu said today that seven people were killed in that attack.

Later, in Wase, a Tarok village, a community leader says four attackers from a Hausa-Fulani settlement were killed. At least five people were injured.

Religion, politics, grazing rights and economic power all play a role in the violence in Nigeria's fertile central belt region.