Nigeria enacts a round-the-clock curfew in a north-central area following a series of retaliatory assaults resulting in nine deaths.
On Sunday, a curfew was implemented in Mangu district, Plateau State, in response to two months of conflicts between nomadic herders and pastoral farmers, which local leaders claim resulted in over 200 fatalities.
Plateau State, located at the intersection of Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south, frequently experiences outbreaks of intercommunal violence.
Plateau Governor Caleb Mutfwang imposed a 24-hour ban on movement after more attacks in Mangu over the weekend.
Farmers accuse Muslim Fulani herders of carrying out attacks on predominantly Christian villages, but herdsman associations dismiss these allegations and assert that their own communities are also subject to raids.
The State chairman of Miyyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Nuru Abdullahi, said eight Fulani settlements were attacked on Friday, leaving 15 people dead.
Regions in northwest and central Nigeria have been grappling with violence arising from conflicts between nomadic cattle ranchers and settled farmers. The farmers accuse the herdsmen of encroaching on farmland with their grazing activities.
The initial clashes have escalated into a wider spectrum of criminal activities, as communities have started organizing armed militias to conduct raids on rival villages. These activities include cattle rustling, looting, and large-scale kidnappings for ransom.