Dozens dead in 3 days of Nigerian violence

JOS, Nigeria (CNN) -- Nigerian soldiers succeeded in restoring calm to the parts of the city Sunday afternoon following three days of violence between Christians and Muslims in which scores of people have died.

Roads into this central Nigerian city were littered with burned corpses and wrecked cars. Armed mobs erected barricades, pulled drivers out of their cars and killed them, then set fire to the vehicles.

Officials said at least 70 people had been killed in the fighting in Jos (pronounced "joss"), about 450 miles northeast of Lagos.

Following a fresh round of killings by the two groups Sunday morning, the atmosphere remained tense by midday as heavily armed police and soldiers tried to enforce a third 12-hour curfew Sunday night.

RESOURCES Country profile: Nigeria

The violence began Friday as a minor dispute between two ethnic groups arguing over which one of their members would receive a low-level government position. The dispute flared into a more widespread religious conflict shortly after Muslim prayers Friday afternoon.

A Christian resident of Jos said the conflict was between Christians and members of the Hausa ethnic group, a most Muslim people primarily from northern Nigeria.

Flare-ups between Muslims and Christians have been reported since the introduction of Islamic law in several northern states last year. Hundreds have been killed during this summer's violence in the region and tens of thousands more have been displaced.

Answering a request from local authorities, President Olusegun Obasanjo Saturday deployed soldiers to keep the peace, the first time he has done so since this summer's fighting began.

The troops seemed to have succeeded in restoring calm to some parts of Jos by Sunday, but in some cases they have also become targets. In one instance, an enraged crowd attacked a vehicle carrying army men, who then opened fire on the mob.

Despite the curfews, residents have reported hearing screaming and shouting at night -- including the Muslim cry for jihad, or holy war.

Several mosques, churches and other buildings have been set on fire since the fighting erupted.

Residents said they saw groups of armed youths with machetes on some of the city's major roads. Police fired tear gas to control the situation.

-- Journalist Ivan Watson contributed this story.