BBC News reports that religious leaders, both Christian and Muslim, are blaming politicians for the unrest and violence in the Jos area of Nigeria:
In a joint news conference, Muslim and Christian leaders said politicians were using religion to whip up trouble around the city of Jos.
Bombs exploded in several areas of Jos on Christmas Eve, and Christian and Muslim youths clashed two days later.
Nigerians are due to hold national and local elections in April.
Local politicians are frequently accused of trying to exploit communal tensions for their gain.
At Tuesday’s news conference, Christian Association of Nigeria head Ayo Oritsejafor, and Nigerian Muslims’ spiritual leader Sultan Mohammadu Sa’ad Abubakar made a joint statement criticising politicians.
Mr Oritsejafor said some politicians “know the weaknesses of the people”.
“They know how to manipulate their beliefs and they know the… parts of the country where people react very easily,” he said.
A radical Islamist group claims responsibility for the bombings
A website apparently belonging to the Boko Haram group, which staged an uprising in the city of north-eastern city of Maiduguri in 2008, said it launched the attacks to “start avenging the atrocities committed against Muslims”.
But police chief Abdulrahman Akano cast doubt on the claims, saying it was not Boko Haram’s usual method.
“Anybody can post anything on the internet,” he told the AFP news agency.