NGO trains 256 Plateau herdsmen, farmers in peacebuilding

A non-governmental organization, Pastoral Resolve, has trained 256 pastoralists and farmers in sustainable peace building in Plateau State.

For the past 10 years, the state had experienced violent clashes in several communities, especially between herders and farmers, which had resulted in loss of life and destruction of property.

The PUNCH reports that the organization conducted the training in four local government areas of the state, including Bassa, Riyom, Bokkos and Barkin Ladi, in conjunction with the USAID and Mercy Corps.

More than forty communities took part in the four-day training.

A Senior Project Officer (Field Operations) of Pastoral Resolve, Jemila Abdul, told journalists in Barkin Ladi on Sunday that the program was designed to deepen the peace process in the state.

She said the training was also designed to stem the tide of intercommunal clashes and other forms of violence that had claimed many lives and property destruction in affected communities.

Abdul said: “If you look at the participating communities, they come from areas that have had some kind of problem with a herdsman/farmer conflict. And Plateau cannot afford to continue on the path of endless violence that has caused so much pain, destruction, suffering and untold hardship to the people, and we have tried to work out modalities so that they can live in peace in the stricken communities.

“And because of the ongoing electoral process leading up to the upcoming election, if they allow forces to come between them, it could undo the peacebuilding already made. That is why we organized these training activities for communities in Barkin Ladi, Bokkos, Riyom and Bassa LGAs to ensure sustainable peace before, during and after the elections.”

Abdul further noted that the organization will continue to prioritize issues fueling the conflicts between herders and farmers and will continue to work with stakeholders to achieve lasting peace in Plateau State and other parts of the country.

She instructed the participants to make wise use of the knowledge and to scale down the training to their communities and villages for improved cordial relationships in their dealings with each other.

A participant and former president of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore in Barkin Ladi, Alhaji Shua’ibu Bayanna, praised the organization for the training intervention among the communities in the state, describing it as timely.

He called on politicians to play by the rules during the election period in the interest of the peace and development of the Plateau State.