Following mounting tensions amongst grazier communities in Bum subdivision of Boyo division in the north west region, with widespread worries that Boko Haram is gradually making inroads, the SDO for Boyo, Oum II Joseph, under the direct and personal instruction of North West Governor, Adolf Lele L’Afrique on Tuesday September 23, 2014 held a serious crisis meeting with warring grazier communities in the area to avert a looming bloodbath which observers say signals the entry of Boko Haram into the North West through that subdivision.

The crisis meeting which held at the Boyo SDO’s office brought together the belligerent grazier communities as well as the top administrative brass of the division on the special instruction of North West governor, Adolf Lele L’Afrique with the main objective of doing everything possible to preserve the fragile peace now reigning in the area.

Genesis of the Crisis It emerged from the meeting that in Bum subdivision, there are three Muslim grazier communities, notably, the Mbororos, the Akous and the Hausas with slight mention of natives.

For more than fifty years now, the two grazier communities of Mbororos and Akous have been led by two community leaders, known locally as “Ardos” who are also assisted by other sub leaders known as “wakilis”. These two Ardos are Ardo Juli Bobo and Ardo Sali Buba, all of Mbororo extraction.

What sparked off the fresh tensions is the fact that unable to get separate ardorates, as prohibited by a prefectoral order of 21 January 2003 and reinforced by another of 19 August 2014, a meeting was organised at Ndawara Tea Estates under the auspices of El Hadj Baba Danpullo during which the DO of Bum, the two reigning ardos and the two Akou contestants were all in attendance for the creation of new ardorates after by-passing the SDO for Boyo.

El Hadj Baba Danpullo himself, The Sun gathered, is of Kom and Haousa extraction and is recognized as a Kom notable and peace builder when it comes to crisis amongst graziers in the division.

Of white cattle and red cattle A closer look at the crisis at the meeting revealed that the conflict between the Akou and Mbororo communities have to do with their cultures, migration patterns and the forms of rearing cattle even though the two peoples look physically the same.

While the Mbororos are known to have settled and grazed for several centuries, the Akous are recent migrants from Taraba state in Nigeria who made their entry into Cameroon in the 1970s and settled in Bum and other parts of the North West region.

Fons, Ardos spill the beans In a letter dated 7 September 2014 and addressed to the SDO for Boyo, the Fons of Sawi and Safffondoms as well as the two recognized Ardos note that “these buoyant grazier population is being ruled by two ardorates; namely the Sawiardorate which has existed for over 60 years with ardo Juli Bobo at the head and the ardorate of Saff that has existed for over 50 years with ardo Sali Buba.”

According to them “the grazier population in these ardorates is made up of red and white cattle rearers cohabiting peacefully with each other and their leaders. The ardos are assisted in their tasks by wakilis and the natives and they all live in harmony.”

Boyo SDO talks tough After listening to the several arguments, Boyo SDO, Joseph Oum II came out clearly to state that protests and petitions have been written to the presidency, government ministers, and the governor of the North West without his knowledge.

He however admitted that his attention has been drawn to the macabre situation by the governor, reason why he called for the meeting. He began by pointing out that all ardos are community leaders and do not own land because they are all under Fons who own the land.

He continued that from the meeting, it has been established that the Muslim community in Bum subdivision comprises of Mbororos, Hausas and Akous.

The second conclusion was that the Akous is a community that migrated from Nigeria in the 1970s while the other two have been settled for long. Thirdly he said there is need for the proper management of grazing land but separation of the communities is not the solution.

Finally, the SDO ordered all concerned to go back to Bum, concert, under the auspices of the DO and the mayor on the issue of the creation of new ardorates and present a comprehensive report to him before October 7 2014, without which the administration would be pushed to the wall. More than seven Fons from the area also took turns to speak.