The Mwankuri Traditional Authority in the Jirapa Traditional Paramountcy of the Upper West Region of Ghana has issued strict guidelines it directs “both natives and Fulani to strictly follow”.

It has warned that “failure to comply to any of them [guidelines ] will attract severe punishment from the traditional authorities and other appropriate law enforcing agencies”.

According to the traditional authority, the guidelines will ensure a peaceful coexistence between the Fulani herdsmen and the people of the traditional area.

The traditional authority announced that “The Fulani community in and around the Mwankuri traditional area in the Jirapa Municipality of the Upper west region has out mostly agreed on the following guidelines to regulate their peaceful coexistence with the people of the traditional area”.

Below are the guidelines issued by the Mwankuri Traditional Authority:

▪️No landlord is permitted to settle more than one Fulani herdsmen in the community.

▪️The chief, landlord, and other stakeholders in the community such as assembly members and unit committee members must be put in the known before any Fulani can settle in the Mwankuri Community.

▪️No community member without cattle can settle a Fulani.

▪️Any Fulani who has a challenge with anybody in the community whether a colleague Fulani or any person in Mwankuri must report to the chief of Mwankuri through the Fulani chief of Mwankuri before any further actions can be taken.
Any Fulani who violates this rule will be evicted from the Mwankuri community by the traditional authority.

▪️Any Fulani who brings his cattle to settle in the Mwankuri community while taking care of community member’s cattle must always give 5% of his cattle to the traditional council yearly and those who settled with their cattle without taking care of any community member’s cattle must always give 10% of their cattle to the traditional council yearly.

▪️Anybody who owns cattle in the community must have kraal to always confine the cattle in the night to prevent farm destructions.

▪️Any herds man in the community must always send his cattle out of the kraal for grazing after 7:00 O’clock AM when farmers might already be in their farms to help prevent farms destructions. Any herds man who violates this rule will pay a penalty of 250 Ghana cedis to the traditional council.

▪️All herdsmen must confine their cattle in the kraal before 6:30 PM when all farmers might have left their farms to rest in order to prevent farms destructions.
Any herds man who violates this rule will pay a penalty of 250 Ghana cedis to the traditional council.

▪️Any Fulani who has a visitor, whether the visitor is a relative of non-relative who is more than 10 years old must report with the visitor to the chief of Mwankuri, land lord and other stake holders such as the assembly members and the unit committee members through the Fulani chief of Mwankuri.

▪️Any Fulani who is sanctioned by the traditional authority for two times would be evicted from the Mwankuri community.

▪️Any Fulani who rapes, defiles or make an attempt to rape a woman or defile a girl in the community would be reported to the appropriate authorities for investigations and punishment if the investigation proves that to be true. Also, such a Fulaini or his family shall be made to follow all the due customary rituals in cleansing the woman. In addition, such a Fulaini or his family must offer a big cow, a sheep, goat and nine (9) domestic fowls for the traditional council to make sacrifices to apiece the land gods of the abominable act and a final decision will be taken by the traditional authority with regards to the stay of such a Fulaini man in the Mwankuri community.

▪️All Fulani who are currently living in the Mwankuri community must register with the traditional council before 30th April, 2022 and afterwards any Fulani who may want to settle in the Mwankuri community have to do same before he or she would be allowed to settle.

▪️All Fulani who are settled or may want to settle in the Mwankuri community must be paying tribute to the chief of Mwankuri and their Fulani chief in Mwankuri and not anywhere.

▪️All family heads of Fulani who are settled or may want to settle in the Mwankuri community must sign a bond of good behavior with the traditional council.

▪️Any herdman who allows his cattle to destroy any farmer’s crops shall be made to pay for the destruction to the affected farmer.

▪️No farmer shall kill cattle that are destroying his or her crops before reporting to the local authority or on the worse side without reporting. ▪️Any farmer who breaks this rule shall be made to pay for the damage if all reasonable findings prove that he or she is the one who actually committed the unlawful act.

▪️No herd man shall be seen possessing or carrying a knife, cutlass or a gun while herding his cattle since that in itself is a serious recipe for intimidating other people. Any herd man who is seen with any of these items will have the item seized and in addition to that charged by the Mwankuri traditional authority.

📌Please note, the traditional council hereby wishes all Fulani and the people of Mwankuri community a peaceful coexistence but re-emphasize the need for both natives and Fulani to strictly obey and follow the above-mentioned guidelines since failure to comply to any of them will attract severe punishment from the traditional authorities and other appropriate law enforcing agencies.

………………………………………………….
NAAH ACHILLES DABINE SOMBORO I (CHIEF OF MWANKURI)

………………………………………………..
MR. MWINNASOMMA GYANGBOREE (LANDLORD OF MWANKURI)

………………………………………….
ALHAJI AZUMAH (THE FULANI CHIEF OF MWANKURI)
WITNESSED BY:
…………………………………….
HON. KANGBONGNE SONGKANG-E EVANS (ASSEMBLY MEMBER, MWANKURI ELECTORAL AREA)
…………………………………………
HON. SYLVINUS WIENAAH (ASSEMBLY MEMBER, KONCHUURI ELECTORAL AREA)

……………………………………….
MR. BASHIRUDEEN SADAT (UNIT COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, MWANKURI
CC:
NAAH ANSOLEHGA NAAII
THE PARAMOUNT CHIEF
JIRAPA TRADITIONAL AREA

THE MUNICIPAL CHIEF EXECUTIVE
JIRAPA

THE REGIONAL POLICE COMMANDER
UPPER WEST

THE MUNICIPAL POLICE COMMANDER
JIRAPA

THE MUNICIPAL IMMIGRATION SERVICE COMMANDER
JIRAPA

THE END

Credit : Core News Ghana