Stop Deadly Land Feuds

The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)

12 April 2011

editorial

Conflicts over land have taken a worrying turn, with numerous reports of villagers locked in bitter feuds with leaders or other influential individuals in various parts of the country.

This is a potentially explosive situation that must be urgently addressed, before it degenerates into widespread violence and bloodletting.Of concern here is the wanton grabbing of vast chunks of land by a few leaders and politicians right from the grassroots up to the regional level.

It boggles the mind that one person can so easily acquire several thousands of hectares and nonchalantly proceed to evict people who had lived on the land for generations.It’s not uncommon for a well-connected ruling party operative or a grassroots leader to own up to 5,000 hectares or more in an area where ordinary residents struggle to find tiny plots to till or use as pasture for their livestock.

A week hardly passes without media reports on land disputes between villagers and leaders. This is a worrying development, considering the perennially recurring clashes over land between peasants and pastoralists, particularly in Mbeya and Morogoro regions.

We need an equitable system for land distribution to avoid needless conflicts. The Lands, Housing and Human Settlements ministry must act now before things get out of hand.

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