Clashes between Christians and Muslims Nigerian city of Jos have left dozens dead and displaced several thousand in the latest string of violence in the African country.

Locals armed with guns, machetes, torches and bows and arrows fought for three days in sporadic clashes until federal soldiers arrived on Tuesday to contain the situation.

The soldiers were deployed by Vice President Goodluck Jonathan serving in the place of President Umaru Yar'Adua, who is in Saudi Arabia being treated for a heart condition.

"This morning there was smoke, and a lot of shooting by the military personnel," Shimaki Gad Peter, director of the League for Human Rights told the New York Times on Wednesday.

"The violence began Sunday when Muslim youths attacked a church and they were resisted by church members," he said.

While precise death tolls from the conflict have not been calculated, estimates have ranged from 30 to more than 400 deaths.

Christian-Muslim conflict in the city has claimed several thousand lives since it began in 2000.

The state government imposed a 24-hour curfew on the city on Tuesday, saying that they couldn't bear responsibility for what happens to those who remained on the streets.