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Recent violence in Northern Nigeria has left nearly 700 people dead after a battle between police and a radical Muslim sect. The violence began a week ago when men from the group called Boko Haram allegedly attacked police stations, churches and government buildings. The police soon retaliated killing about a hundred members of the sect and going door to door to seek out more members. Boko Haram, which literally means “Western education is sacrilege,” is a fundamentalist organization that seeks to impose Sharia law all across Nigeria, a nation of several religions. Days after the violence and police counter-violence began, the head of Boko Haram, a man by the name of Yusuf Mohammed, was apparently killed by police, although details surrounding his death remain murky. Thousands of civilians were caught in the cross fire with many among the dead and displaced. Nigerian President Umaru Musa Yar’adua has come under criticism for leaving the country as the violence began for an official state visit to Brazil. Police have also come under international fire for the extra-judicial killing of the Boko Haram leader. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to begin an 11 nation trip to Africa tomorrow and has been urged by rights groups to emphasize human rights.

GUEST: Eric Guttschuss, Human Rights Watch’s Nigeria Researcher

For more information, visit www.hrw.org.