A resurgence of tit-for-tat violence between herders and farmers has killed at least 22 people and injured more than 30 others this week in Cameroon's Far North region, a regional government official said on Thursday, prompting residents to flee to Chad.
"We
are in a full-on inter-community conflict," said the Cameroonian regional
official, who asked not to be named.
Hundreds
of people fleeing the violence between Arab Choa herders and Mousgoum and Massa
farmers have streamed across the border into neighbouring Chad, the mayor of
Chad's capital N'Djamena, Ali Haroun, told Reuters.
A
traditional leader in northern Cameroon, who asked not to be named, told
Reuters the violence began over access to water.
"The
Arab Choa wanted to take their herds to the banks of a river. The Mousgoum and
Massa prevented them," the leader said.
"This
problem needs to be resolved quickly because a few months ago, there were
already deaths. Today, when there is a problem between two people from
different communities, all the communities get involved with weapons," the
leader said.
The
United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) which is responding to the crisis, said
in a November report that scant rainfall had dried up rivers and seasonal ponds
that communities depend on, leading to clashes in the area.
A
UNHCR official in the Cameroonian town of Kousseri acknowledged the conflict
between the parties, saying the agency has been responding to the crisis after
clashes in August and helped the government organize a reconciliation meeting
last week.
She
said 40 villages involved in the conflict participated but that on Saturday, an
Arab Choa herder tried to take his herd to the river and was prevented by
farming communities, triggering a fight between the farmers and herders.
On
Thursday, she said the Kousseri town of around 90,000 was empty, but that the
situation remained tense as armed community members regrouped.
"The
fighting in Kousseri has been very violent. We had to cross the river at night
to find refuge here," said Florent Mbang, who fled from Cameroon to a
refugee camp in N'Djamena.
"Our
children have not eaten since yesterday, we ask the Chadian authorities to help
us, otherwise our situation here will be worse than the conflict we have at
home," he said.
Similar
violence in August between Choa herders and Mousgoum fishermen killed dozens of
people and forced thousands to flee to Chad.
Chad's
President Mahamat Idris Deby said on Twitter late on Wednesday that over 30,000
Cameroonians had sought refuge in Chad, but did not specify if they were all
from the latest wave of violence.
He
urged the international community to provide prompt aid to help Chad deal with
the situation.
By
Reuters
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