A/HRC/16/53/Add.1 2. (a) Urgent appeal sent on 12 March 2010 jointly with the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Allegations transmitted to the Government 262. The Special Rapporteurs brought to the attention of the Government information regarding continued violent clashes between Christians and Muslims communities in Jos, Plateau State, specifically clashes which occurred on 7 March 2010, which reportedly resulted in the killing of at least 200 persons. 263. According to new information received, on 7 March 2010, men armed with guns, machetes, and knives attacked residents of the villages of Dogo Nahawa, Zot, and Ratsat, 10 kilometers south of Jos, the capital of Plateau State. The attackers hunted down and attacked Christian residents, killing and burning them as they fled. It is reported that at least 200 people have been killed including women and children. 264. The present attack appears to be in retaliation for the violent clashes that occurred in the town of Kura Karama on 19 January 2010, against Muslim communities in which more than 150 people were killed. It is believed that some of the attackers had previously lived in the same villages but had re-located due to inter-communal tensions. 265. The Special Rapporteurs were informed that communal clashes in Jos are a recurring phenomenon. In September 2001, a major outbreak of violence claimed as many as 1,000 lives; in May 2004, about 700 were killed in the town of Yelwa in the southern part of Plateau State and in November 2008, about 700 people were killed in Jos. The Special Rapporteur were also informed that the Government had responded to the January 2010 clashes by deploying additional troops to the areas of Jos and surrounding communities. However, the troops have been largely limited to the major towns and not deployed in the smaller communities. (b) No response received from the Government (c) Observations by the Special Rapporteur 266. The Special Rapporteur regrets that he has so far not received a reply from the Government of Nigeria concerning the above mentioned allegations. He is concerned over the lack of investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the communal clashes. In general, it appears that after such communal clashes a few arrests are made and prosecutions of minor players follow. In some cases, an inquiry is also held, but the resulting report remains confidential and without meaningful follow up. In this regard, he would like to refer to the Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extralegal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions which stipulate that “There shall be thorough, prompt and impartial investigation of all suspected cases of extra-legal, arbitrary and summary executions, including cases where complaints by relatives or other reliable reports suggest unnatural death in the above circumstances. Governments shall maintain investigative offices and procedures to undertake such inquiries. The purpose of the investigation shall be to determine the cause, manner and time of death, the person responsible, and any pattern or practice which may have brought about that death. It shall include an adequate autopsy, collection and analysis of all physical and documentary evidence and statements from witnesses” (Principle 9). Further it is provided that “Governments shall ensure that persons identified by the investigation as having participated in extra-legal, arbitrary or summary executions in any territory under their jurisdiction are brought to justice” (Principle 18). The Human Rights Committee, in its general comment no. 31, has observed that failure to investigate and failure to bring to justice perpetrators of such violations could in and of itself give rise to a separate breach of 52