Community petitions DCE over destructive activities of herdsmen

Correspondence from Savannah Region

Soma, a community in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah region, have petitioned the District Chief Executive to have Fulani Herdsmen and their cattle removed from the area.

The community says herdsmen from neighbouring communities invade the area with cattle to cause destruction to life and property.

The communities cited in the petition are Kunlog, Kong, and Tuna.

The petition dated March 17, 2023, is signed by the Assembly member of Soma Mr. Ben Gbolo, Charles Gbolo a Youth Leader, Kipo Kanyiti the Chief Priest and Haarakuuh Kpenkpeni the Ag. Vaglikori, Soma.

The petition revealed that the people of Soma have always resisted these Fulani herdsmen with large volumes of cattle because their activities have proven to be destructive and detrimental to the environment.

It further explained that they also pose risk to live and property, especially to women who are allegedly raped by the nomadic herdsmen.

"They also pose risk to lives and property, especially women who are sometimes being raped by these Fulani men. In view of the above and in order to play safe, the people of Soma resolved not to ever accept these Fulani herdsmen into their jurisdiction of authority", a statement from the petition.

According to the petition, though the people of Soma have rejected the herdsmen in their community, they continue to suffer the consequences of the herdsmen because communities such as Tuna, Kong and Kunlong accepted them but fails to keep them within their jurisdiction.

"Hon. DCE, permit us to say, what the people of Soma will not accept is when these Fulani men will now leave the boarders of the aforementioned communities and enter the jurisdiction of Soma", part of the petition warned.

The petition appealed to the DCE to use her good office and as the Chairperson of DISEC to swiftly avert the disturbing phenomenon to forestall any conflict between the communities that have been living in peace.