Seven Dead in Farmer-Herder Clashes in Burkina
Clashes between farmers and herders in a town in eastern Burkina Faso have killed seven people, officials said Wednesday, the latest such violence in a country where the two groups often compete for land.
"Communal clashes broke out over the weekend... between farmers from the Bissa ethnic group and Fula herders. There were seven deaths," regional governor Allahidi Diallo told AFP, saying the clashes had taken place at the weekend in the town of Zabre, 170 kilometers (110 miles) southeast of the west African nation's capital Ouagadougou.
The violence erupted when a Fula herdsman refused to compensate a Bissa farmer after his herd destroyed his crops, Diallo said.
"The riots started on December 30 when the Bissa attacked the Fula herder's family, killing him and five members of the family," said local Deputy Mayor Yebila Souga, adding that a member of the Bissa group had also been killed in the violence.
He said many Fula women and children had been forced to flee their homes by the clashes. The governor put the number of displaced at around 500.
Such clashes are common in Burkina Faso, where frequent food shortages put farmers and herders in competition for land.
Source: Agence France Presse
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