GUNFIRE REPORTED IN MAIDUGURI

Witnesses reported on 28 July 2009 that gunfire was heard overnight in the city of Maiduguri, Borno state, despite a heavy security presence in the region. Authorities stated that a group of Islamist militants is barricaded inside a district in Maiduguri near the city's railway station and that they are shooting at anyone approaching their stronghold. So far, police officers have killed at least three militants who attempted to join the group. The reports follow two days of violence in four northern Nigerian cities, as domestic Islamist militants attacked police stations and other facilities, leaving as many as 150 people dead. A dusk-to-dawn curfew is currently in place in nearby Bauchi state, where the violence initially broke out; authorities may also instate curfews in Yobe, Kano and Borno states in order to prevent further outbreaks of violence. The level of violence has been particularly high in Maiduguri, where approximately 3,000 civilians have been displaced.