Médecins Sans Frontières has provided assistance to medical clinics after the post electoral riots in Jos, Nigeria, were 300 people were reported killed. The fighting began as clashes between supporters of the region's two main political parties after the first local election in Jos in more than a decade. But the violence expanded along ethnic and religious fault lines, with Hausas and members of Christian ethnic groups doing battle.
MSF treats trauma patients in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Photo by Guillaume Le Duc
The situation remains tense between Muslims and Christians and there are still some patients who have not been treated.
Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) has handled approximately 280 cases of wounded and performed 100 surgeries. Approximately 200 people were also treated in the emergency room of the Specialist Hospital and 50 of those patients underwent surgery. The MSF team visited two other health centers in the Muslim neighborhood where 40 people were treated and six died.
In town, things have not gone back to normal yet, markets and shops are still closed and traffic remains light. Approximately 4,000 people are temporarily staying in a primary and secondary school, in fear of returning to their homes. The displaced have received clothes donations and MSF is planning the distribution of non food items, such as blankets and mosquito nets, and improving the sanitation conditions.
MSF teams will continue to monitor the situation of those who are wounded and reluctant or afraid to go to the hospital while the environment remains volatile.