85 people have died in several days of fighting between herders and farmers, BBC.com report.

Even though it is unclear what caused the violence, it is reported to have started Monday in Plateau state, which straddles the divide between Nigeria's mostly Muslim north and mainly Christian south, and which has struggled with inter-communal violence for years.

The fight between herders and farmers often spirals into village raids by heavily armed gangs.

The State Emergency Management Agency, says thousands of people have been displaced by the attacks.