Translated material
Yoruba vs Hausa
Nigeria is rocked by ethnic passions
Violent ethnic clashes have paralyzed Lagos, Nigeria's economic capital and largest city. The unrest has been going on for several days. According to official figures, one hundred people have already died, although eyewitnesses claim that in reality there are much more victims.The Yoruba and Hausa, representatives of the largest nationalities inhabiting the multinational state, came together in battle. The center of the pogroms was the working-class district of Ajeganl. There are corpses in the streets, houses and cars are burning, set on fire by the crowd. Fires are also raging in areas adjacent to the port. According to the Nigerian Red Cross, 20 thousand residents of the city fled their homes, taking refuge in police stations and military barracks.
The authorities are trying to restore calm, but so far they have not succeeded. A curfew has been imposed in Lagos. The city is patrolled by reinforced police squads. The governor held an emergency meeting with Yoruba and Hausa leaders. But, as one of them admitted, he does not control his supporters.
The instigator of the unrest was the Odua People's Congress, a Yoruba nationalist organization created five years ago. Members of the group, which unites mainly youth, tried to install one of their own tribesmen into the post of traditional chief in the city of Ilorin, while it had always been held by a Hausa. Nine people were killed in clashes with police. Then, in retaliation, extremists unleashed pogroms against Hausa in Lagos.
The ethnic strife that continually plagues Nigeria has become one of the biggest dangers to the fledgling democracy. The matter is complicated by the fact that the country's president, Olusegun Obasanjo, although he has repeatedly stated that he considers himself a national leader, is Yoruba. Previously, successive military dictators were almost all Hausa. Therefore, when the head of state’s fellow tribesmen initiate ethnic clashes, this adds even more tension to the difficult relations between Nigerians belonging to different nationalities.