Cattle have become the victims in clashes between Fulani herdsmen and locals in Agogo, an animal welfare activist says.
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Cattle are victims in Agogo clashes
“'When two elephants fight it is the grass that suffers.' I think that is what has happened to the cows. Between the Fulani and the indigenous people I think of them as the two elephants fighting and the cows have become the grass that has suffered as the consequence,” an animal welfare activist says.
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Police and security personnel have been deployed to Agogo in the Ashansti region to deal with the ongoing conflict between nomadic Fulani herdsmen and locals. They are working to drive the Fulani out.
The Fulani herdsmen over the years have clashed with Agogo residents for damaging their crops and farms. The Fulani herdsmen have been accused of engaging in robbery, rape and the murder of residents in the process.
The security action comes after residents of the area vowed to take on the nomadic herdsmen after a farmer was alleged to be gunned down by the Fulanis.
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Speaking with Pulse News, Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mohammed Tanko said the Fulani situation had calmed down but police and the military were still working to move Fulani from the region. He said about six Fulani herdsmen had been arrested and the security forces were working with the locals to find out the routes they used.
He said a number of Fulani cattle had been killed by the locals about three weeks ago and police were unable to find those responsible.
He said police urged locals not to take the law into their own hands and kill the Fulani's cattle. They needed to let security forces deal with the situation.
Animal welfare activist Ujakpa Martin Mabeifam, who is a Ghana Technology University College lecturer and chief executive officer for the Society for the Welfare of Animals Ghana said animals should only be destroyed if they were directly posing harm to human life.
“In this particular incident [locals killing Fulani cattle], personally I don't see the human life that has been put in danger.”
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Mabeifam quoted an African proverb to explain the situation, “'when two elephants fight it is the grass that suffers.' I think that is what has happened to the cows. Between the Fulani and the indigenous people I think of them as the two elephants fighting and the cows have become the grass that has suffered as the consequence.”
Mabeifam referred to the Ghana Criminal Code which outlined it was illegal to cruelly cause harm or hurt animals.
This was the first time a large number of animals had been killed in Ghana that wasn't related to preserving human life or health, like when poultry was destroyed because of bird flu, Mabeifam said.
In a development this week, ASP Tanko indicated that the Fulani men were using the cattle to charge at the security forces.
“The Fulani are able to command the cattle. It's as if the cattle understand the Fulani man. He can say one thing and all of them will stop, he can say another thing and all of them will charge. So the men on the ground sometimes face a situation where a Fulani man will command the cattle to charge and in that situation they have to resort to the power of their arms to be able to protect themselves.”
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Because of this, the security personnel have been directed to shoot at animals that attack them.
Mabeifam also said Fulani could control the cattle and communicate with them.
He said news that police were given permission to shoot and kill animals that charged at them was understandable as they needed to defend themselves.
“I don't see anything wrong. It's up to the Fulanis to control the animals. The police are not going out there to kill the animals."
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