Attackers on motorbikes raided a mining community in the resource-rich state of Plateau
Gunmen on motorbikes launched a violent raid on a mining community in north-central Nigeria, killing approximately 40 people, local authorities reported on Tuesday.
The assault in the Wase district of the state of Plateau marked a continuation of violence in a region plagued by resource disputes and intercommunal clashes.
Musa Ibrahim Ashoms, the state commissioner for information in Plateau, detailed the attack to AFP, stating that armed assailants stormed the Zurak mining community, firing sporadically and setting homes ablaze.
“We are trying to comb the area to see whether we have more casualties or people with bullet wounds,” he said.
Locals have told Reuters that the death toll is much higher than was stated.
Read more
The state of Plateau boasts significant deposits of zinc and lead and is known for its tin mining industry. It is also situated on the boundary separating Nigeria’s mostly Muslim north from its predominantly Christian south and therefore frequently witnesses sectarian violence. Deteriorating climate conditions have heightened these tensions, leading to increased disputes over grazing land, water resources, and access to precious metal deposits.
In January, religious buildings were torched, over 50 people were killed, and thousands displaced in clashes in the town of Mangu in Plateau.
The month before, attackers killed at least 140 residents in a two-day assault that targeted more than a dozen communities.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: RT
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://www.rt.com and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.