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Police send in reinforcements to quell ethnic clashes

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Source: IRIN
    ABIDJAN

    Fresh police reinforcements have been sent to Nasarawa State in central Nigeria to quell more than two weeks of ethnic clashes that have claimed up to 200 lives, the Panafrican News Agency (PANA) reported on Thursday.

    PANA reported Nasarawa Police Commissioner Umar Suleiman as saying new contingents of police had been despatched from Abuja and Lagos to stop the fighting, which has pitted Tivs against Hausa-speakers since 12 June.

    The fighting followed the killing by unknown gunmen of a prominent Hausa traditional ruler, Musa Ibrahim, along with members of his entourage. His people blamed Tivs and carried out revenge killings, forcing many to flee to nearby Benue State, where Tivs are in the majority. The Red Cross has been reported as saying that more than 35,000 people have been displaced.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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