Measuring Violence in Nigeria

I am trying to arrive at an estimate of the total number of deaths related to recent political, religious, and ethnic conflict in Nigeria. In a March 28 report, Human Rights Watch reiterates that at least 250 people have died in the Jos area since December 2010--and the killings have not ceased. As I have noted in a previous post, local NGOs may argue that reported death tolls grossly understate the violence in Plateau state and elsewhere. It is also increasingly difficult to distinguish among political, religious, and ethnic strife. Given the lack of clarity surrounding much of the violence, a new initiative is under way to monitor the election-related unrest. I will also have more concrete figures for tomorrow’s blog post.