Sequel to the recent communal clashes in Southern Kaduna, 29 communities cutting across Kachia, Kaura, Jema’a, Sanga and Zangon Kata Local Government Areas, LGAs, of the state have signed an agreement to remain in peace, and not to allow a repeat of such ugly incident.
Leaders from the aforementioned LGAs signed the pact after a parley brokered by a Kenya-based inter-governmental organisation, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.
The Centre has been involved in peace mediation process in Plateau and Kaduna states.
It would be recalled that scores of people were killed recently when clashes erupted among communities in Jema’a local government area of the state.
The areas affected were Godogodo, Ninte, Gada Biyu, Gidan Waya, Antang and Dogon Fili as well as Kagoro in Kaura local council.
However a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting with the communities, the leaders said they were committed to peaceful resolution of the issues that led to the clashes, and assured their people and leaders and the wider community of their continued commitment to uphold the peace in Southern Kaduna.
While acknowledging that inter-communal dialogue process, which focused on, among other issues, the prevalent farmer/grazer issues and the return/settlement of Internally Displaced Persons, is a continuous process, the leaders said that they were committed to sustaining the peace through ensuring the implementation of the dialogue recommendations.
The communiqué made available to DAILY POST on Tuesday in Jos, was signed by leaders of the 29 communities among who were: Senator Babale Maikarfi from Gwong community; Dakachi Anthony representing Jema’a LGA; Norman Shekarau, Kachia LGA; Abdulhamid Musa on behalf of the Fulani; Kasimu Abubakar on behalf of the Hausa; Ignatius Raymond, Kaura; Danlami Adamu, Sanga LGA; and Simon Saddih from Zangon Kataf.
The communiqué reads, “The inter-communal dialogue between the 29 ethnic groups has succeeded in helping us begin to jointly find solutions to our issues and concerns.
“The community-driven approach has given us much more direct involvement in finding these solutions.
“The dialogue cut across all levels of civil society and has sought the buy-in and support of key stakeholders (Federal, state and local governments; the business community, traditional rulers, community and religious leaders, women and young people).
“The bottom up approach provided a different model for addressing the issues and was received positively by our communities. We cultivated a new culture among ourselves of embracing dialogue as the mechanism for dealing with our disputes, hoping to ultimately lead to peaceful co-existence between us.”
The peace pact, entitled: “Kafanchan Peace Declaration”, also assured that every attempt must be made to end the attacks and ensure that there were no reprisals.
“We are conscious that the failure to implement an agreement is worse than not reaching an agreement at all.
“Thus the communiqué outlines one key issue that has affected the implementation and explains how to shore up factors that can positively affect its implementation and eliminate, contain or manage those which may undermine it,” the communique’ further stressed.
As part of fence-mending, the leaders agreed on joint condolence visit to affected families, resettlement of displaced Fulani and natives and to hold perpetrators accountable so as to end impunity.
To ensure permanent end to the conflict, the communiqué asked both the state and local governments to define specific conflict prevention goals and factor the promotion of conflict prevention objectives into polices and legislation.
The communities are to intensify the dissemination of information to the broader community.
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