Ethnic clashes claim 20 lives in Plateau State

At least 20 people died in three days of clashes between rival ethnic militias in central Plateau State, residents and officials said on Tuesday. The clashes between ethnic Tarok fighters and their Fulani rivals at Bakin Chiyawa in the Shendam district of the state began on Saturday, Emmanuel Bakat, a local government official and resident of the area, told IRIN. “The fighting has been intense with both sides using guns, bows And arrows and machetes,” Bakat said. “No less than 20 people have died between Saturday and Monday,” he added. He said the fighting was caused by a dispute over use of an area of land designated for cultivation by the agrarian Tarok and for grazing by the nomadic Fulani. Police in Jos, the Plateau capital, confirmed the clashes. They told IRIN that extra armed policemen have been deployed to the affected area to restore order. Police spokesman, Sotonye Wakama, said four people have been confirmed dead by the police but added he expected a higher toll when a more detailed report on the disturbances came in. Plateau State has been racked by intermittent ethnic and religious violence since sectarian clashes between Christians and Muslims in Jos in 2001 left more than 1,000 people died. Most of the clashes in Plateau have been portrayed as being between Christian and Muslim communities, but have often assumed an ethnic dimension. A report issued by Human Rights Watch in December 2001 noted a “long-standing battle for control of political power and economic rivalry between different ethnic groups and between those labelled 'indigenous' or 'non-indigenous' inhabitants of the area”.