Around 300 people have been killed in three days of Muslim-Christian clashes in the central Nigerian city of Jos, according to unconfirmed figures given by clerics and medical sources Tuesday. There was no official confirmation of the death toll, amid reports of continuing armed clashes in various parts of the city. A 24-hour curfew has been imposed. All flights to the city were suspended, aviation sources said. A Christian leader said 50 followers had died by Monday while he counted 15 more deaths Tuesday. “As of yesterday I had 50 dead,” said the reverend Chung Dabo, secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Jos. Dabo said the 15 additional deaths had been reported in the small town of Bukuru, on the outskirts of Jos. A Muslim leader Balarabe Dawud earlier said at least 192 had died overnight and Tuesday. On Monday he gave a toll of 26 deaths from Sunday when fighting first erupted between Christians and Muslims in the divided city. Fighting in Bukuru on the outskirts of Jos Tuesday left another five people dead, according to Maryam Mohammed, a paramedic working at the clinic there. The governor of Plateau state Tuesday sent extra security forces to the state capital to prevent a repetition of clashes in November 2008, when hundreds of residents were killed in the country's worst sectarian fighting in years. This week's violence erupted after an argument between Muslim and Christian neighbours over the rebuilding of homes destroyed in the 2008 clashes. The fighting is unlikely to have a big impact on sub-Saharan Africa's second biggest economy. Its oil industry is in the south and its banking sector mainly in the commercial hub Lagos. Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan ordered troops and top security chiefs to Jos to restore calm, in his first use of executive power since President Umaru Yar'Adua left Nigeria for treatment at an overseas hospital nearly two months ago. “I assure you that the federal government is on top of the situation in Jos and the situation is under control,” said Ima Niboro, spokesman for the vice-president. A Red Cross spokesman said around 2,000 residents had left their homes and taken shelter at a nearby college. Some were injured with machete and gunshot wounds, he said. There were reports that the clashes had spread to at least seven communities outside Jos, but this could not be independently confirmed. Dr Aboi Madaki, who works at Jos University Teaching Hospital, said gunshots and machinegun fire could be heard as early as 4 A.M.
