Twenty killed in Nigeria communal clashes

Eyewitnesses said the casualty figure rose when soldiers shot into crowd.

At least 20 people have been killed in Nigeria in communal clashes in the flashpoint city of Jos,forcing the army to intervene.

The riot broke out when Christians surrounded Muslims who were praying to end the Ramadan fast,eyewitnesses said.

More than 40 vehicles and 100 motorcycles were also burnt during the fracas which saw the army intervening to help the Muslims escape from the area mostly inhabited by Christians.

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Eyewitnesses said the casualty figure rose when soldiers who came to restore order shot into the crowd.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the police confirmed the clashes.

Fighting broke out between members of two different religious organisations but the police has succeeded in putting it under control, Plateau state commissioner,Dipo Ayeni said.

The clashes are reprisal for Christmas eve bombings that hit two parts of the city regarded as targeting Christians.

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Early this month,10 people were killed in overnight attacks in Jos,sparking protest as angry youths took to the roads.

Several people have died in internecine crises involving ethnic Fulanis and Beroms in Jos and its environs.

Sometimes the clashes take religious colouration as Christians attack Muslims or vice versa.

Majority of the Fulanis are Muslims while the Beroms are mostly Christians.