At least 100 innocent people in Nigeria are dead after heavily armed gunmen raided and burned down three villages late Friday.
Details are still coming out, but it happened in the central state of Kaduna — an area known for its longstanding rivalries over land, religion and ethnicity. (Via CLTV)
NPR reports police confirmed herdsmen believed to be from the Fulani ethnic group are responsible for the attacks. "Most Fulani-related clashes are concentrated in central Plateau state, pitting semi-nomadic Muslim herders against sedentary, often Christian, farmers in recurrent and murderous killings."
According to the BBC, the herdsmen entered the villages and just started killing people with guns and machetes. Hundreds of thatched roofed huts were set on fire, food supplies were stolen and the villages were completely destroyed. Some of the bodies were so badly burnt they were unidentifiable.
man from the Ungwan Gata viliage said, “I came back from the market and there were bullets flying all around the village... I saw three people running into my house to take refuge. They were macheted to death before my eyes." (Via EyeWitness News)
The attacks are not believed to be linked to Islamist insurgency group Boko Haram, which is known for its brutal efforts to enforce Sharia law in the north. (Via Deutsche Welle)
These reports come just one day after reports surfaced that 69 people were killed in a similar attack in a different state. Human Rights Watch says thousands of people have been killed in the region since 2010 — a claim Nigerian authorities deny.
