21 dead in religious rioting in central Nigeria

JOS, Nigeria — Journalists in central Nigeria have seen 21 dead bodies awaiting burial in the troubled city of Jos, all victims of religious rioting that has taken over the city this week.

Journalists visited the city’s central mosque on Friday and saw the bodies. The trouble started in Jos on Monday, when Muslims marking the end of Ramadan came under attack by rioters carrying machetes, knives and bows and arrows.

Violence continued through the city over the week, despite the presence of a military task force charged with guarding the city.

Police and military officials declined to comment.

Jos sits in the Nigeria’s “middle belt,” where dozens of ethnic groups vie for control of fertile lands and political and economic power. Nigeria is largely divided into a Christian south and Muslim north.