Yelwa massacre

The Yelwa massacre was a series of related incidents of religious violence between Muslims and Christians which took place in Yelwa, Nigeria between February and May 2004. These incidents killed over 700 people.^[1] The first occurred on 4 February 2004 when armed Muslims attacked the Christians of Yelwa, killing more than 78 Christians, including at least 48 who were worshipping inside a church compound.^[1] According to some sources, the signal for the attack was a call for Jihad from the local mosque.^[2]

The February killings inflamed tensions between the communities which had been growing since the 2001 Jos riots when conflict between Muslims and Christians resulted in 1,000 dead. On 2 May 2004 local Christians responded to the February incident by attacking Muslims in Yelwa, resulting in roughly 630 dead.^[1] According to some sources, Muslim girls were forced to eat pork and other foods forbidden to Muslims and some were even raped.^[2]

Thousands of people have died in fighting since the passage of Sharia law in the Muslim-dominated northern region after a return to civilian rule in 1999.^[3] The origin of the conflict between the Christian Tarok and the Muslim Fulani is rooted in their competing claims over the fertile farmlands of Plateau State in central Nigeria.^[4]

• List of massacres in Nigeria

• Eyewitness: Nigeria's 'town of death'
• Nigeria: Prevent Further Bloodshed in Plateau State – Human Rights Watch