Regional News of Friday, 3 April 2015

Source: GNA

Tension builds between farmers and Fulani herdsmen

Famers of Asiama near Adidwan, in the Asante Mampong Municipality, have called for the immediate intervention of the security agencies to prevent an imminent clash between them and Fulani herdsmen.

They say tension is speedily building up over the destruction of their farms by the cattle of the Nomads.

The herdsmen, believed to have migrated from the Agogo part of the Afram Plains, are reportedly causing a lot of havoc to food crop farms.

They are also being accused of violent crimes, including threatening people with guns.

Mr. Ben Sarpong, a spokesperson for the farmers told the GNA that the Fulani and their animals had become complete nuisance, which could trigger nasty clashes soon.

He has, therefore, appealed to the security agencies to act without delay to flush them out of the area.

He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi that large hectares of maize, pineapple, rice, and plantain farms had been lost to bushfires deliberately started by the herdsmen.

They normally do this, he said, to cause quick growth of fresh shoots of grass for their cattle to graze.

Mr. Sarpong said the farmers had made numerous complaints to the Mampong Police about the unacceptable and criminal conduct of the Fulani and also petitioned the Ashanti Regional Police Command to intervene to prevent a bloody confrontation.

He, however, expressed the fear that there could be imminent breaches of the law if the authorities failed to take decisive action to deal with the problem.