Cross section of participants at a 2-Day "Experience Sharing" organised by the Search for Common Ground under COMITAS II Project have urged Adamawa and Taraba State Governments respectively to kick off Peace Commissions.
According to them, the commissions will play a significant role in ensuring timely management of conflicts mostly among farmers-herders and promote peaceful coexistence.
Likewise, they harped on the need for government to implement as well as enforce policies to address farmer-herder conflicts and integrate or adopt the COMITAS II approach to preventing conflicts.
The 2-day event was organised by Search for Common Ground under the Contributing to the Mitigation of Conflicts over Natural Resources between Farmer-Herder Communities (COMITAS II) and held at City Green Hotel in Yola, Adamawa State.
The learning event tagged, "TAFAAHR and AFFAHR Experience Sharing Agenda" brought together participants from 2 platforms, Taraba Forum on Farmer-Herder Relations and its counterpart of Adamawa State.
It was also aimed at coming up with some policy action points that will influence policy makers in the 2 states, promote collaboration towards preventing clashes between farmers and herders.
The participants advocated for the commissions at the event during their groups presentations, roundtable discussions on top policy priorities, and while developing action plan as well as during interviews with newsmen.
Fielding questions from newsmen, a University Don, Prof. Augustine A. Ndaghu, said that the event will have a lasting and enduring impact on fragile peace existing between farmers and herders in the affected states.
Prof. Augustine of the Modibbo Adama University who is also the Member of AFFAHR stated that they have started the activities in 2021, and since then there was only one time that peace was broken down in Adamawa state largely due the activities they have been doing.
According to him, with the coming of global warming which is practically seen in the form of climate change which resulted in depleting of natural resources.
He noted that with the population growth, areas that were hitherto herders grazing places have been taken over by people who are expanding cultivation, saying that even the cattle themselves have increased in number and quality.
He pointed out that with all these expansion, land resources remains fixed, stating that one can increase his or her production but cannot increase size of land.
He called on the governments in both states to do everything possible so that there will be peace commissions in the states, advocating that the commissions should be independent and be proactive.
Prof. Augustine A. Ndaghu, disclosed that the best time to avert crisis is when there is no problem, adding that they can find solution even when there is peace.
On his part, the Project Manager COMITAS II, Gambo Wada, explained that the event was organised for them to share ideas, experiences considering the fact that they share some similarities as it relates to preventing conflicts.
The Project Manager added that the project uses "early warning, early response, and urged governments to adopt COMITAS II approach to clashes.
He advised participants to utilise the opportunity and keep on working on COMITAS II issues especially things that has to do with herder -farmer conflicts and advocated for policies to solve long term problems relating to herder -farmer conflicts.
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