CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Missé Nanando, Chad, June 1998
THEME = SOCIAL.CONDIT.
For more than 10 years, Chari-Baguirmi's population
has been going up and up -
so much so that one wonders about the long-term consequences
The prefecture of Chari-Baguirmi has a population of 720,941 and is the most heavily populated region of Chad. (In sharp contrast to Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti which has only 73,188). It's heavily populated because N'Djamena, the capital, is situated in the region. The Sahel is plagued with frequent droughts and during the 1974 and 1984 droughts, people from other prefectures left their own areas for N'Djamena where food and water was regularly distributed by humanitarian organisations. But once the emergency was over, they didn't return home.
Most people who left their own areas for the capital, were nomadic herdsmen from the north and farmers from the south. Once in N'Djamena they set up small businesses such as blacksmiths, mobile tailors, laundrymen, street peddlers, etc). Others took to the bush around the capital looking for a patch of land to cultivate or graze their herds - which did nothing to preserve the countryside already in grave danger from drought combined with overexploitation.
There's another side to the problem which sees a movement of population in the opposite direction - the young unemployed from N'Djamena leave the capital in large numbers for the countryside, looking for ways and means to earn their living. During the rainy season they go there to grow potatoes and cucumbers, but return to the capital in the dry season having harvested and sold their produce. Villages such as Massenya, Bousso, Maylaw, Ali Garga and Koundoul are invaded by these young people who dig over the land. They cut down big trees for charcoal, driving away edible reptiles and small wild ruminants. This interference with nature risks dire consequences in the years to come.
Among the newcomers there are Arabs coming from Batha, Salamat and Bilitine. They don't find it easy to live alongside the local population - mostly peasants from Baguirmi, and Peul herdsmen who have been there for centuries. The Arabs try to take the upper hand which doesn't endear them to the locals.
All this means that living space is in short supply, and it's then that quarrels over land break out between farmers and herdsmen. The two communities are unable to agree on the best way of sharing out what little land is available. The herdsmen don't understand (or pretend not to understand) that farmers must allow the land to lie fallow every now and then, otherwise it just gets "exhausted". The farmers see the herds destroying their fallow land and this gives rise to bloody exchanges with the herdsmen. The inter-communal fighting tends to become endemic and the various solutions proposed during conferences, meetings etc. are far from satisfying the two parties.
Added to this explosive situation, there's problems with officials from the Water and Forestry Department who have not been paid for ages. To try and make ends meet, these people are involved in a number of shady dealings inconsistent with their responsibilities. They live off the backs of the rural population and matters reached such a pitch that the Member of Parliament for Bousso, Al Hadj Tahirou, felt himself obliged to step into the breach to condemn the goings-on.
Here's some examples. Going home from his farm, a certain peasant killed a squirrel to bring some variety into his food. Caught in the act by Water and Forestry Department officials, he was fined CFA francs 50,000 - an exaggerated sum considering the amount earned by this unfortunate peasant from his smallholding: buy such a squirrel in any country market and you won't pay more than CFA francs 200-300.
A similar situation occurred when a herdsman snared behind his kraal, a hyena which had killed and eaten one of his cows. He was fined CFA francs 50,000. And look what happened to a peasant caught in possession of an axe! He was accused of being a poacher when everyone knows that farmers need axes for their work. He was punished by being tied behind a horse and dragged along the ground.
One might well ask what's going on? If anyone has enough courage to challenge these Water and Forestry officials, they receive an answer such as: "Who do you think you are? Did you appoint us to this area?" In other words, "We're answerable to those who sent us into the bush areas - not to the likes of you!"
If nothing is done soon to settle these problems which are rapidly poisoning the atmosphere, the whole country is going to go up in flames. Disputes between peasants and government officials have recently become common practice throughout the country. So much so, that in a Press Communique issued in Nakou on 14 February 1998, the Chadian Human Rights League made it plain that "the country's security services are the very ones spreading insecurity throughout the country". Truth to say, this hatred between country people and government officials is mainly the direct result of tribalism in appointments to senior positions. The average petty official obviously doesn't want to upset his senior who appointment him!
Chad's past history has been one of internal armed conflicts and on-going poverty, so the present unsettled situation could very well upset the country's relative stability. The people of Chari- Baguirmi are living in what has been described as an "explosive situation" and this does nothing to encourage efforts made to develop the rural areas - Chad having already signed a number of agreements with Western countries to this end.
END
CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
PeaceLink 1998 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement