The Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament is seeking the approval of the house to embark on a fact-finding mission to three countries in the West African sub-region in a bid to find a solution to the conflict between nomadic herdsmen and farmers.
The Chairman of the Committee, Seth Akyeampong, said the initial research done by the Committee indicated that, the negative activities of nomadic herdsmen were widespread.
[contextly_sidebar id=”VB8RA1uP9gQMXieLogWjbYE5zIWDLPGo”]Thus, there was the need to study how other countries had dealt with the challenge.
Mr. Akyeampong said memos were already before the Majority Secretariat awaiting for approval for the fact-finding visits to the three countries, namely; Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire.
Delivering his report on the fallout from tensions between farmers and nomadic herdsmen referred to the Committee by the Speaker of Parliament, the Mpraeso MP said, if approved, an eight-man team would travel for the mission.
“In consultation with leadership, it became evident that the Committee would have to step out of our boundaries and go to countries like Cote d’Ivoire, which is equally going through a similar problem, Burkina Faso, who are equally going through the same problem and Nigeria, who are also going through the same problem,” he said on the floor of Parliament.”
“We will bring the full complement of our observations and findings from there to add up to the initial work we did with the sector minister,” Mr. Akyeampong added.
The causes of tensions between farmers and nomadic herdsmen are seen to be essentially the same across the sub-region.
The disagreements are always over the use of farmland, grazing areas and water between herders and local farmers.
The herders have consistently clashed with farmers who accuse them of damaging their crops and failing to control their animals.
But the casualties are significantly higher in Nigeria, where more than 1, 200 people were killed in 2014 by different groups of Fulani herders, according to the Global Terrorism Index.
A mass burial for over 70 people was held in Nigeria’s central Benue State in January 2018.
Since the New Year, more than 100 deaths have been reported in Benue and Taraba states, according to reports in Nigeria.
Fighting has been particularly heavy in Benue state, where 80 people have been killed and 80,000 displaced.
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By: Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana