by Missé Nanando, Chad, April 1998
THEME = RURAL LIFE
Can the opposing interests of stockbreeders and farmers be
resolved?
A present-day problem in Chad
Last year, a National Forum was held at Sarh in the Middle Chari Prefecture. It's theme was: "The resolution of conflicts between stockbreeders and farmers". Present at the Forum were representatives from the two opposing parties coming from all over the country; also representatives from associate movements and cooperatives; human rights groups; religious leaders; various traditional authorities.
Discussions centred on two essential points: The places where clashes occur and the balance of power between the two communities who have to share the same living space.
On the one hand there are the stockbreeders who accuse officials of the National Office for Rural Development (ONDR) of overvaluing the damaged areas, to the peasant's advantage. Powerless against these rather shady gentlemen from the ONDR, the stockbreeders are calling for help from the military authorities. The stockbreeders draw attention to the fact that these conflicts, though often petty, are stirred up by unscrupulous authorities who pocket the heavy fines they impose. They raise the point that because the population is always on the increase, people have got to live somewhere. More stockbreeders means more cattle, and it's difficult to find place for their animals on the traditional grazing grounds, hence they stray onto farmers' fields.
The farmers, for their part, say the stockbreeders are getting uppity because of the considerable support they receive from the political and military authorities. This is shown by the stockbreeders allowing their cattle to stray where they will. What's even worse, the stockbreeders are continually devastating the peasant's sacred religious and initiation sites.
They even go so far as to steal the oxen used for ploughing. As a result, the farmers demand that the stockbreeders dismantle their small temporary encampments which are set up too near the farmers' villages and fields.
All this discord stems from the deplorable events the country has been experiencing. The State has been steadily growing weaker because of the internal conflicts which have been Chad's lot since 1979, this rending the country asunder. The slightest gesture, be it good or bad, implicates the whole community - it's either the North or the South, Muslim or Christian. With this disintegration of the state, nobody respects anybody.
Quite frankly, the law of the land seems to have been flouted. For instance, Order Number 004 of 1959, relating to the setting up and management of grazing grounds is regularly trampled underfoot by the stockbreeders. Nobody, not even the authorities concerned, feel bound by these laws.
The fact is, that in this crisis of inter-ethnic "living togetherness", the appropriate authorities are quite prepared to exploit the situation. As soon as there's a dispute between two individual Chadians originating from different regions or communities, the way they are treated is quite subjective. If the police chief or Prefect is of the same region as one of the plaintiffs, he simply fines the other party. This prejudicial treatment is clearly seen in disputes between stockbreeders and farmers, with regrettable consequences. Not knowing what to do, each side takes the law into its own hands. The result - dozens or even hundreds of deaths.
The hatred between the two communities spreads to other fields, religion in particularly. During the whole of last October, rather serious incidents arose between animist peasants and Muslim stockbreeders.
At Danamadji (Middle Chari Prefecture), when the peasants retired deep into the bush for their children's initiation, a Muslim stockbreeder, out of sheer curiosity, ventured into the bush behind the newly initiated. It's strictly forbidden for non-initiates to see the initiates, above all in their sanctuary. That stockbreeder never returned to his village. His enraged relatives and co- religionists set out to exact revenge. Luckily, public order was restored and the incident seems over, at least for the time being.
Another similar event took place the same month. Faced with the stockbreeders' arrogance, and especially their blatant disrespect for the peasants' ancestral customs, the latter, during the time of their initiation rites, decided to boycott the cattle products (milk, cream, meat and dung), which Muslim women usually sell in the villages. The peasants argued that customs connected with initiation ceremonies forbid any cattle products to be consumed. The situation became serious as no dairy products or meat were being bought, so the stockbreeders sent their religious leader generally held to be familiar with the Sara (the ethnic group who look after the initiation rites) on a peace mission. As in the previous incident, the Muslim messenger simply vanished in the bush. This incident is far from being resolved and the stockbreeders' case is still pending.
The various peasants' organisations have referred the matter to the Panos Institute, human rights organisations, and the international press, so that some kind of dialogue can take place between the parties in dispute. The National Forum tackled such issues as civic education and above all training in human rights, as a means of bringing about ethnic reconciliation.
Importance was also given to updating legal rulings dealing with land management; likewise insistence that the authorities must be impartial when handling such conflicts.
The Workshop enabled the various parties present to rub shoulders, to dialogue and exchange their experiences. A number of stockbreeders and farmers were seen to greet each other cordially. They give the impression of being able to resolve their conflict between themselves.
END
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