By John Ugo, Awka
The Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has appealed to feuding communities in Ayamelum local government area of Anambra State to sheathe their swords and peacefully resolve their age long boundary dispute.
It pointed out that violence was not an option insisting both sides must see reasons to embrace each other.
The Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), is a parastatal of the Federal Government under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, established in 2000 as a research think-tank and an intervention agency for promoting peace, conflict prevention, management and resolution in Nigeria and Africa.
It was learnt that the Local Government, comprising eight communities, Omor, Igbakwu, Anaku, Umumbo, Umuerum, Ifite-Ogwari, Umueje and Omasi, has been engulfed by boundary disputes for many years.
Speaking during the stakeholders meeting organized by IPCR on the boundary dispute between the warring communities, the Director General of IPCR, Dr. Bakut Tswah Bakut, said that the meeting had become necessary because of the recurrent nature of the conflict.
In attendance during the meeting held at the GeoGold Hotel Awka, the state capital include the traditional rulers, women leaders, opinion leaders, youth leaders and others.
Bakut said the objective of the meeting was to find other means towards resolving the issues.
He said, “The DG lamented that the loses in both human and material resources, as a result of the age long conflict that spans over a 100 years in some cases, has been enormous, unimaginable and embarrassing.”
“This is no longer acceptable, hence this very enlarged stakeholders meeting cutting across government officials, traditional rulers, town union/opinion leaders, women leaders, youth leaders, security agencies and other critical agencies connected with finding solutions to such a hydra headed conflict.”
The IPCR boss pointed out that the purpose of land is to be used to cater for the living and wondered “Why then should we want to die for land instead of using it for sustenance?
He said, “Therefore, we must be ready to accept the principle of give and take. We must be ready to accept a little bit to the right and a little bit to the left. We did not create this land. We met it at birth and we will leave it behind when we die. Therefore, killing ourselves for it might just be what the Bible call “Vanity upon Vanity”.
“Resource control has been a very important casual factor of conflict, “but in the struggle to have access and control of this scarce resource we need not get violence to achieve it.”
“We need to bring our various claims to the table for peaceful options and resolutions. We need not take laws in our hands and be the judge in our cases.”
“It is in respect of that we scheduled this Conflict Management and Resolution Workshop and Peace Education/Sensitization/Advocacy and Mobilization Campaign. The bottom line of this Conflict is boundary, he noted.
He urged leaders of the communities to shift their focus to empowering the youths and women to become economically independent and progressive minded.
He also advised them to engage traditional means to resolve their differences.
Bakut, called on the state government to make public the reports by the affected communities and support its implementation.
