JOS STATUS: TWO WEEKS LATER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000131

SIPDIS
STATE FOR AF/FO, AF/W, AF/RSA, AF/PDPA, DRL, INR/AA
AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE PASS TO AMEMBASSY MALABO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/01/26
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR SOCI KPAO NI
SUBJECT: JOS STATUS: TWO WEEKS LATER

REF: ABUJA 0103 AND PREVIOUS

CLASSIFIED BY: James P. McAnulty, Political Counselor, U.S. Embassy
Abuja, Political Section; REASON: 1.4(B),(D)

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SUMMARY

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1. (C) Jos and surrounding towns now exhibit a tense quiet in the
wake of the widespread violence that erupted there two weeks ago.
Use of cellular telephones and text messaging, which reportedly
contributed to the rapid spread of violence, continue to keep
tensions elevated as rival groups called for revenge. Officials
report over 300 lives lost, but many religious and civil society
groups say that hundreds more are missing. A Nigerian Red Cross
official estimates that 10,000 displaced persons remain at 12
camps. Military and Police forces maintain a visible presence.
END SUMMARY.



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SOCIAL NETWORKING INFLAMES RHETORIC ON BOTH SIDES

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2. (C) Jos residents circulated text messages in recent days
blaming certain groups for the violence or calling for revenge,
according to a USAID implementing partner in Jos who told USAID
Officer January 29 of numerous messages passed along by friends and
colleagues, with the content depending on the religious affiliation
of the sender. A text message circulating in Muslim circles, for
example, called upon recipients to sign an on-line petition calling
for the impeachment of Plateau State Governor Jonas Jang, a
Christian. Similarly, a Christian told USAID Officer of messages
circulating in Christian circles about sophisticated weapons used
by Muslims in Jos. He commented that, as a result, recipients
would think that "Muslims have become the Nigerian Army itself."
He lamented that "our people are desperately afraid of what they
imagine the Hausas are planning still."




3. (SBU) The press and contacts reported that use of cellular
telephones during the crisis may have contributed to the rapid
spread of the violence to different neighborhoods. Attacks in
neighborhoods in one sector of town reportedly generated messages
to relatives and friends in other sectors calling for revenge.
Many of the messages contained inflamed, emotion-charged accounts,
which led to further escalation of the violence.




4. (C) Press accounts varied widely on what incident or incidents
may have provoked the initial violence. Initially, the press
reported that a Muslim resident had attempted to rebuild his house,
destroyed during the November 2008 riots, in a community that had
since become predominantly Christian. Some accounts indicated that
Christian youth threw stones at workers transporting building
materials to the house undergoing renovation and later attacked a
Muslim motorcycle rider who arrived upon the scene badly injured.
Other accounts claimed the renovation work encroached on the
property of a Christian neighbor or even that the Muslim homeowner
had imported weapons and killed three neighbors during the November
2008 riots. Still another account insisted that the renovation
work had disturbed religious services at a nearby church, leading
some in the congregation to ask that the homeowner delay
construction until services ended. Yet other versions claimed that
Muslim youth attacked Christians as they left Sunday services or
even trapped them in a burning church. (COMMENT: The exact cause
may never become known, but the violence spread much more quickly
and broadly than in the November 2008 riots, leading some to
speculate that at least one group had stockpiled weapons and waited
for an excuse to attack rivals. END COMMENT.)

ABUJA 00000131 002 OF 002


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RESIDENTS FLEE TO BAUCHI

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5. (C) Displaced Jos residents sought refuge in neighboring Bauchi
State. According to a February 1 Nigerian Red Cross report, 6,500
internally displaced men, women, and children are sheltered at four
camps along the highway between Jos and Bauchi. The National
Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has scrambled to provide food
and sanitation to try to avoid the outbreak of diseases caused by
unsanitary conditions. A Nigerian Red Cross official confirmed to
PolOff February 1 that 10,000 displaced persons remained at eight
camps in Jos, two in Panshin, and two in Mangu. The people are in
fragile conditions, needing food, water, and medical supplies that
NEMA, civil society, and religious groups are struggling to
deliver. The Nigerian Red Cross spokesman confided to PolOff that
people remain in fear of returning to their homes, even with the
presence of police and military patrols, as they fear more violence
in the name of revenge.
SANDERS