Bloody clashes between some Fulanis and Konkombas in the Afram Plains South District in the Eastern Region have left five persons dead.
The victims comprised four Fulani herdsmen and a Konkomba man. Their bodies were found on farms and in bushes in the area after two separate clashes between June 17 and 21, 2016.
The initial clash is said to have taken place when cattle belonging to some Fulani herdsmen strayed onto a Konkomba man’s farm and damaged his crops on June 17, 2016.
Reports indicate that when the Fulani herdsmen were confronted by Konkombas in the area, the herdsmen became offended and inflicted machete wounds on the Konkomba farmer, leading to his death.
That development, according to reports, did not go down well with Konkombas in the area, who vowed to avenge the death of their kinsman.
In an apparent reprisal attack, the Konkombas were said to have gunned down a Fulani herdsman. Later, three bodies identified as those of Fulani herdsmen were found in the bush at Sakabu Number One and Odumansua in the district.
Fulanis migrate
The District Chief Executive, Mr Windham Emil Afram, who confirmed the incident to the Daily Graphic yesterday, said the apparent reprisal attack had compelled some of the Fulani herdsmen in the district to migrate to the Afram Plains North District, a situation that had created a lot of tension in the area.
“The killings have ceased now. We have been able to cease fire and we are now talking to the various groups and residents of communities who now have to live with the Fulani herdsmen,” he said.
Some of the villages, such as Mem-Chemfre and Meyikpor, Mr Afram said, were currently hosting a number of Fulanis “and we are talking to them to live with them peacefully until the dust settles”.
He said some police and military personnel had been deployed to the area to prevent any further reprisal attacks.
Background
In October 2015, three Fulani herdsmen were found dead in the Afram Plains in the Eastern Region, following a possible reprisal attack by residents of the area.
An earlier clash between the herdsmen and farmers in the area claimed the life of a farmer and injured seven others.
Cattle belonging to the Fulani occasionally destroy crops and this leads to clashes in areas where Fulani headsmen live.
In March 2016, about 50 military personnel were deployed to the area to help flush out nomadic herdsmen whose activities were causing havoc in the area.
The military personnel, for about a month, complemented the efforts of the traditional authorities in their quest to fight the Fulani menace.
By: Graphic Online
