November 9, 2011

The Fulani menace in Ghana: the Position of the Kwahu Development Association.


The activities of the rampaging Fulani herdsmen have been a bother to people in many parts of central Ghana stretching from Akyem through Kwahu, Asante Akyem, Asante to the Northern regions. As is the common negative behavior in all the affected areas, the herdsmen and their cattle in Kwahu engage in the following nefarious activities – bush burning which includes both cultivated and uncultivated lands, crop destruction by cattle, abuse or destruction of streams and wells as well as breaking of pipelines in the bush to create pools for watering their animals, killing of farmers, raping of women and above all creating fear and panic among inhabitants of the land.

There have been countless appeals to governments after governments for a solution to this problem yet the problem persists and continues to grow worse.
At the moment, there are agitations geared towards finding solution to this Fulani menace in most affected communities. Chief among the agitators are the sons and daughters of Agogo, led by the Agogo Worldwide Association and the sons and daughters of Oworobon in the Kwahu South District. We salute them all for taking such bold initiatives.
The Kwahu Development Association believes in the ECOWAS protocol on free movement of persons, right of residence and establishment. However, it is our conviction that the provisions in the protocol protect citizens who ply their trade or profession according to the laid down rules and regulations within their operating districts.
The Great question is whether the herdsmen are obeying the agreements which some of them signed with the landowners? One may also ask whether all the herdsmen are legally granted any lands or whether they are all legally permitted to be in the country. Are they limiting their operations to the geographic area granted them?
The Kwahu Development Association is hereby throwing its weight behind all legal activities geared towards bringing peace to the inhabitants of Kwahu lands. The KDA supports all efforts being made by these groups because we believe that the governments, previous and present, have failed or is failing to save us from the hands of these alien herdsmen. Our sons, daughters, parents and other relatives back home are panic stricken and majority have abandoned their farms.
It is our hope that the government would expedite the necessary steps to bring permanent peace to the people affected by the Fulani menace
###
About the Kwahu Development Association:
The Association is an umbrella organization founded in 2005 to bring together all Kwahu Town Development Associations to foster developmental projects on a common and united platform. The Executive Council, made up mainly of the Chairmen and Secretaries from the various Town Development Associations of all Kwahu Towns, meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every month to deliberate and take decisions on matters in the interest of the entire Kwahu Traditional Area.
Our Address: P. O. AN 11644, Accra. Email: koke_4444@yahoo.com; tel: 0244517134, 0262285202.