The Fulani community in Ghana is disturbed by the discrimination and atrocities committed against its tribesmen in some parts of the country.
The community observed that the Fulbe ethnic group has come under serious attack in recent times, with many losing their lives and livelihoods.
The General Secretary of the Fulani community in Ghana, Alhaji Yakubu Musah Barry pointed out at the annual Tabital Pulaaku International Annual Conference in Kumasi that they want an end to this.
“A lot of Fulbe (Fulanis) have lost their lives; cattle and many others have had their homes burnt down to ashes, while most of the perpetrators are still walking unpunished. Notable among these atrocities included the attack on the entire Fulani’s residing in Bongo Soiby; the burning to death of 9 Fulanis at Zackoli a small community near Yendi in the Northern Region and the killing of 5 Fulanis at Obuasi and Takwa among many,” he cited.
The group further noted that, “In all these instances, our people died over crimes they did not commit, but were alleged to have been committed by some individuals. The Fulani leadership in Ghana is unhappy about this overlooked injustice. We expect the traditional and political authorities as well as the security agencies to always make conscious efforts to investigate and sanction crimes against Fulanis as is done for other ethnic groups in the country.”
They also expressed concern over challenges in accessing national documents such as Ghana Card and passport.
“We are often denied these two important documents on the basis that we are Fulanis and for that matter, we are not Ghanaians even when we are able to prove that we are qualified. We admit that some Fulanis here are not Ghanaians, but most of us in the country are. We were born here and our grandfathers have been living here way before independence, but we are still considered foreigners by most Ghanaians. That is not right,” Alhaji Barry said.
Whilst fighting for justice, the Fulani community has pledged to support the prosecution of criminal elements among them.
“The Fulani leadership is solidly behind justice and will not shield any Fulani found to be criminal, but will rather volunteer information to the security forces for them to be arrested and dealt with,” he assured.
The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah who graced the conference entreated the public to refrain from labeling the entire Fulani community as violent if an individual commits an offense.
“You hardly hear offender’s name mentioned together with his tribe, but when it is about Fulani then we are quick to leave out the person’s name and rather describe him by his ethnic group. This is wrong. Just like any other ethnic group, we have the good and bad people but one person’s mistake should not be generalized as the attitude of an entire group,” he advised.
The coordinator of the Zongo and Inner Cities Development Secretariat, Ben Abdallah Bandah noted that, being Ghanaian is a matter of law, not the language one speaks or his or her colour.
“The impression ought not to be created as though some government doesn’t want some people living in this country because the constitution of Ghana doesn’t admit of any discrimination. We have Fulanis who are Ghanaians and those who are not. We need to assert our rights because nobody is going to assert that right for you,” Mr Abdallah Bandah said.
The annual Tabital Pulaaku International Annual Conference brought together the Fulani community in Ghana and beyond to discuss matters of national interest.