CLASHES pitting farmers and pastoralists in Rufiji District have claimed at least two lives amid a 70-day ultimatum by Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, to have forest reserves isolated from human settlements.
Premier Majaliwa has directed all heads of forest reserves in the country to clearly define their boundaries by putting up beacons to avoid disputes with surrounding villagers.
Speaking to senior officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism and heads of forest reserves in Dodoma, he said: “Land disputes between pastoralists, farmers, regional and district security committees should be addressed ... you should go to your respective areas after this meeting and define your boundaries to the villagers.”
Mr Majaliwa reminded the officials about President John Magufuli’s speech at the inauguration of the 11th Parliament in which he identified clashes over land, poaching and increased revenue collection as his major areas of focus.
“The president put emphasis on clearly demarcated boundaries because the current ones are not clear ... officials have been talking about buffer zones that are not well understood by the citizens,” he said, giving the officials until January 31, 2017 to complete boundary setting task.
He said if the Tanzania National Roads Agency has fixed beacons across the country to indicate the road reserves, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism can as well manage, “We must put beacons in each forest reserve to avoid the recurrence of disputes.
” After fixing the beacons, the officials have to inform the villagers on the space they have to spare from the beacons, the premier directed, ordering postponement of the village registration by the President’s Office, Regional Administration and Local Government, pending the boundary setting.
“I hereby suspend the registration of villages, effective today,” ordered Mr Majaliwa. He told the Heads of Forest Reserves to identify villages that were registered inside the forest reserves and the number of villages that have not been registered.
As the premier gave directives on the control of land disputes, at least two people were reported dead in Coast Region’s Rufiji District in clashes between farmers and pastoralists.
The killings occurred after the pastoralists allegedly grazed their animals on farmers’ land. Rufiji MP, Mohammed Mchengerwa, visited the scene and talked to the two fighting groups in attempt to ease the tension.
The dispute reportedly emerged on November 19, 2016 after the pastoralists killed 22-year old Mwidini Saidi, a resident of Kilimani area in the district. The killing was described as a revenge after his father, Mr Omary Mpange seized the pastoralists’ animals and reported the matter to the police, demanding compensation for the damage caused.
One of the deceased’s relative, Bashiri Saidi told the visiting legislator that earlier, the pastoralists had captured his father, Mpange, who, however, escaped and reported the matter to the police.
He said after the father’s escape, the pastoralists met the deceased whom they commanded to disclose the whereabouts of his father but declined, leading to his murder.
Bashir alleged that after the killing, farmers mobilised themselves to revenge and killed one pastoralist before setting the body on fire. Coast Regional Crime Officer, Anael Mbise, confirmed the incident, saying she had met with the residents and ordered them to stop taking the law into their own hands. Mr Mchengerwa consoled the residents, urging them to remain patient as the village and district leaders were working to end the fights.
“You are supposed to be patient and build a culture of accompanying one another when you are going for your activities, we are working on the matter,” said the MP, blaming the situation on the large number of animals in the district. A total of 50,000 herds of cattle were in 2007 approved in the district, which currently accommodates 450,000 animals.
The MP said the Full Council meeting last week issued a 30-day ultimatum to pastoralists who had illegally entered the district with their animals to vacate the area.
Earlier, the residents accused the District Commissioner (DC), Juma Njwayo, of failure to address the disputes.
source-www.dailynews.co.tz
