Nigeria politicians 'fuel unrest'

The fighting in Yelwa sparked revenge attacks elsewhere

Christian churches in central Nigeria are accusing politicians of provoking much of the violence that has killed up to 3,000 people in the last four years.

The archbishops from Kaduna and Jos, both scenes of massacres over this period, claim religious differences have been stirred up to win votes.

The archbishops say religion was rarely a source of disputes until democracy replaced military rule in 1999.

Since then, an estimated 10,000 Nigerians have died in clashes.

The claims coincide with the publication of a report by the campaign group Human Rights Watch which also accuses the state governments involved of doing too little to prevent the violence or to prosecute those involved.

The Roman Catholic archbishop of Jos, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, and his Anglican counterpart in Kaduna, Josiah Idowu Fearon, both accuse politicians of provoking religious intolerance in an effort to bolster support from voters.

Report

The allegations are denied by the government of Plateau State, the state which has seen some of the worst troubles.

But the Human Rights Watch report backs up the archbishops' accusations.

It goes on to accuse the governments of Plateau and Kano states of failing to take proper preventative measures to stop the fighting, or to arrest any of those responsible for organising the carnage.

The US-based group says Nigeria has failed to prosecute those responsible for religious violence that it says killed 900 people last year.

In a report on the two waves of killings by Christians and Muslims in central and northern Nigeria last May, Human Rights Watch said the impunity enjoyed by instigators and perpetrators of the bloodshed would feed the cycle of violence.

"The authorities need to send a clear message that those responsible for these killings will be arrested and prosecuted," said Peter Takirambudde, the director of the group's Africa division.