LAGOS: Gunmen riding motorbikes killed around 40 people in a raid on a mining community in northcentral Nigeria, opening fire on residents and torching homes, the local government said on Tuesday.
The attack late on Monday on Wase district in Plateau state was the latest violence in an area which has long been a flashpoint for disputes over resources and for outbreaks of intercommunal clashes.
Armed men invaded Zurak community, shooting sporadically and torching houses, Plateau state commissioner for information Musa Ibrahim Ashoms told AFP by telephone.
“As we speak, about 40 people have been confirmed dead. Zurak is a popular mining community,” he said.
Local youth leader Shafi’i Sambo also said at least 42 people had been killed in the raid.
Wase has deposits of zinc and lead, while Plateau as a whole is known for its tin mining industry.
Sitting on the dividing line between Nigeria’s mostly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south, Plateau often sees outbreaks of violence sparked by disputes between nomadic herders and pastoral farmers.
Climate change has also helped escalate tensions over grazing land, water access and other resources such as the state’s metal reserves.
Parts of northwest and northcentral Nigeria have also been terrorized by heavily armed criminal gangs, who raid villages to loot and carry out mass kidnappings for ransom.
In January, intercommunal clashes erupted in Plateau’s Mangu town that left churches and mosques burned, more than 50 people dead and thousands displaced.
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Gunmen kill around 40 people in attack in northcentral Nigeria: official
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Gunmen kill around 40 people in attack in northcentral Nigeria: official
- Armed men invaded Zurak community, shooting sporadically and torching houses
- Local youth leader Shafi’i Sambo also said at least 42 people had been killed in the raid
Cambodia, Thailand trade accusations of fresh border clashes
- Five days of hostilities erupted between Thailand and Cambodia this summer, killing 43 people
- The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia centers on a century-old disagreement over their borders
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia and Thailand traded accusations of fresh clashes along their border on Wednesday, after Bangkok said it was pausing the implementation of a US-backed peace deal.
Five days of hostilities erupted between Thailand and Cambodia this summer, killing 43 people and displacing around 300,000 before a truce backed by US President Donald Trump took effect.
However, Thailand on Monday paused implementation of a follow-on deal to wind down hostilities, claiming a blast from a newly laid land mine had wounded four of its soldiers.
Just two days later, officials on both sides have reported gunfire across the boundary between Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province and Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province.
“Thai soldiers opened fire on civilians,” Cambodian information minister Neth Pheaktra said, citing a toll from local authorities that reported five wounded.
Royal Thai Army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said Cambodian soldiers “fired shots into Thai territory” around 4:00 p.m. (0900 GMT) and that its troops “took cover and fired warning shots in response.”
“The incident lasted about 10 minutes before calm was restored,” he said in a statement. “No Thai casualties were reported.”
Cambodia’s information ministry shared images and video which it alleged showed wounded civilians, including one man being treated in an ambulance with a bloodied leg.
AFP was not able to verify the provenance of the images.
‘I am so frightened’
Cambodian villager Hul Malis said by phone that gunfire from across the border had wounded at least three people in her area.
“They just shot at us. We did nothing,” she said. “I am so frightened, I am running away now.”
Her husband, Thong Kimleang, said the Thai military “fired a lot of shots” for around 15 minutes.
The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia centers on a century-old disagreement over their borders mapped during France’s colonial rule in the region, with both sides claiming a smattering of border temples.
Back in July, the region ignited with open combat along the frontier waged with fighter jets, missile strikes and ground troops.
A truce began on July 29 after intervention by Trump, as well as Chinese diplomats and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc.
They signed a joint declaration last month, agreeing to withdraw heavy weapons and allowing ceasefire monitors access to the border.
While experts said the deal failed to adjudicate the core territorial dispute, Trump flew into Kuala Lumpur to oversee the pact he cited as evidence of his presidential peace-making abilities.
But the apparent fresh land mine blast and renewed clashes have thrown its future into doubt.
Thailand has already delayed the release of 18 captured Cambodian soldiers, a key plank of the joint declaration.
Five days of hostilities erupted between Thailand and Cambodia this summer, killing 43 people and displacing around 300,000 before a truce backed by US President Donald Trump took effect.
However, Thailand on Monday paused implementation of a follow-on deal to wind down hostilities, claiming a blast from a newly laid land mine had wounded four of its soldiers.
Just two days later, officials on both sides have reported gunfire across the boundary between Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province and Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province.
“Thai soldiers opened fire on civilians,” Cambodian information minister Neth Pheaktra said, citing a toll from local authorities that reported five wounded.
Royal Thai Army spokesman Winthai Suvaree said Cambodian soldiers “fired shots into Thai territory” around 4:00 p.m. (0900 GMT) and that its troops “took cover and fired warning shots in response.”
“The incident lasted about 10 minutes before calm was restored,” he said in a statement. “No Thai casualties were reported.”
Cambodia’s information ministry shared images and video which it alleged showed wounded civilians, including one man being treated in an ambulance with a bloodied leg.
AFP was not able to verify the provenance of the images.
‘I am so frightened’
Cambodian villager Hul Malis said by phone that gunfire from across the border had wounded at least three people in her area.
“They just shot at us. We did nothing,” she said. “I am so frightened, I am running away now.”
Her husband, Thong Kimleang, said the Thai military “fired a lot of shots” for around 15 minutes.
The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia centers on a century-old disagreement over their borders mapped during France’s colonial rule in the region, with both sides claiming a smattering of border temples.
Back in July, the region ignited with open combat along the frontier waged with fighter jets, missile strikes and ground troops.
A truce began on July 29 after intervention by Trump, as well as Chinese diplomats and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc.
They signed a joint declaration last month, agreeing to withdraw heavy weapons and allowing ceasefire monitors access to the border.
While experts said the deal failed to adjudicate the core territorial dispute, Trump flew into Kuala Lumpur to oversee the pact he cited as evidence of his presidential peace-making abilities.
But the apparent fresh land mine blast and renewed clashes have thrown its future into doubt.
Thailand has already delayed the release of 18 captured Cambodian soldiers, a key plank of the joint declaration.
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