Share & more
Six people have died and about 1,000 have been displaced following a land dispute between an indigene and a Burkinabe in the village of Goya, 450 km west Abidjan, a Red Cross official told IRIN on Thursday.
The Burkinabe had rented a plot of land for one year from a village headman, but another man demanded the land, claiming it was his. Community leaders intervened and it was agreed on Sunday that the tenant would continue to work the land until the rightful owner could be determined. However on Sunday night, the plaintiff and others attacked the Burkinabe community, following which a number of people were killed.
Between Sunday and Tuesday, security forces dispatched to restore peace were attacked, and one policeman was killed. The Red Cross has sent a team to investigate the situation but preliminarily reports indicate that medicine and blankets are needed, the source said.
Western Cote d’Ivoire has been plagued by land disputes over the past two years.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions