Pope denounces 'atrocious' Nigeria bloodshed (AFP)

JOS, Nigeria (AFP) –

Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday denounced the "atrocious" bloodshed in Nigeria after a massacre of Christian villagers, as police said 49 people would be charged over the killings.

As new gunfire added to the tensions around the flashpoint city of Jos, the head of the Roman Catholic Church added his voice to a chorus of international revulsion over the weekend slaughter which police now say left 109 people dead.

About 8,000 Nigerians have also fled their homes around Jos after the violence, the International Committee of the Red Cross said.

In his weekly general audience, the pope offered condolences to the victims of the "atrocious violence causing bloodshed in Nigeria" and urged civil and religious leaders "to work towards security and peaceful co-existence".

"Violence does not resolve conflicts but only increases the tragic consequences," he added.

The three-hour killing spree early Sunday was the latest wave of sectarian violence to engulf the Jos region where several hundred people were killed in Muslim-Christian clashes in January.

The security forces have faced heavy criticism over their failure to intervene to stop the latest killings at a time when a curfew was meant to be in force.

Although troop reinforcements have been deployed, state governor Jonah Jang said security lapses had worsened the carnage.

Jang, a former senior air force officer, told reporters he had alerted Nigeria's army commander about reports of movement around the area and had been told that troops would be heading there.

"Three hours or so later, I was woken by a call that they (armed gangs) had started burning the village and people were being hacked to death.

But in a furious reaction Wednesday, the army headquarters, in an official statement, slammed his remarks as "embarrassing, unfortunate, inciting and inflammatory".

The statement "coming from a chief executive and chief security officer of a state with substantial military background, it is unfortunate that ... Jang has demonstrated an embarrassing naivety in interpreting the dynamics of land operations".

Jang, it said, "resorted to inflammatory statements targeted at rubbishing the army".

Earlier, Human Rights Watch researcher Eric Guttschuss added his concerns over the response by the security forces.

"We are deeply concerned about the failure of the security forces. There's been a slow reaction of the security forces," he told AFP.

Officials initially said more than 500 people, mostly women and children, were killed when members of the mainly Muslim Fulani ethnic group butchered their victims from the Christian Berom clan in three villages.

But the state police commissioner Ikechukwu Aduba gave a breakdown of the list of people killed Wednesday and said the final toll was 109.

"This figure is authentic and undisputed," he said, adding that the larger figure quoted by other officials was fabricated.

Aduba revealed that 49 people were to be charged with homicide and conspiracy and had already confessed to being on a revenge mission.

Another 150 suspected Berom were arrested in Mangu town, 60 kilometres (40 miles) south of Jos for unlawful assembly and possession of firearms.

"They took the law into their own hands and mobilised to protect their communities against any possible attacks," Aduba said.

Residents have said the killings on Sunday were part of a spiralling feud between the Fulani, who are nomadic herders, and Berom, who are farmers, which had been sparked by the theft of cattle.

Meanwhile, Jang late Wednesday declared three days of fasting in the state to "cry to God" for forgiveness and peace. The fasting period begins on Thursday.

"Our God is a God of justice. I believe He has allowed this (to happen) for a purpose," he stated.

The three-hour killing spree was the latest wave of sectarian violence to engulf the Jos region where several hundreds of people were killed in Muslim-Christian clashes in January. Land disputes, politics at root of Nigeria violence: experts

"We should sheathe our sword and work towards achieving peace. Violence cannot be used as a means of resolving conflicts," said Jang.

Jang is from the ethnic Berom.

About 8,000 Nigerians fled their homes around Jos after the violence, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Wednesday in a statement.

Related article: Nigerian mothers recall children's slaughter

Taken from here