19 SPECIALREPORT Jos: How tin mining, dialogue lessened 16-year conflict
He adds that the Berom and Fulani regularly hold football matches in various parts of the two local governments, and this too has helped the peace, he implies.
Saidu Hussaini, another nomad states that there are 100 nomads working at the site ,and that some of them have been there for upwards of 10 years .He adds that their numbers have swelled in the last few months ‘Fellow Fulani as well as the Berom taught me how to mine. I learnt how to mine in a week. We work here from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm and we usually sleep here.’ He says that his work at the mining pit is temporary ‘If I mine and my cattle increase in number, then I will turn and focus on the cattle. On the other hand, if some nomads lose their cattle owing to theft or disease, then they usually turn to tin mining to make a living.’ Hussaini recalls that there are many Fulani in the state who have become rich through tin mining, and draws attention to the fact that there are nomads who are willing to join the business .Isa Aliyu Gidado who lives in the Gashish district comments on the new bonds of friendship flourishing between Fulani and Berom ‘In the same hole you will find Fulani and Berom, with Fulani inside the hole and Berom at the top, working together as though they had never fought before. In the market, if you are Fulani, you won’t buy from Berom, and if you are Berom, you won’t buy from Fulani. But all that is changing now.’
Dalyop Davou ,Supervisory Councillor Social Services ,Riyom local government sheds light on mining around Tanti ‘Many people are engaging in tin mining.The Fulani have united with the Berom to mine tin. Women also come to mine, and they help the Fulani. At the end of the day the Fulani will give them tin, and they will sell and the women will help us in managing the homes with the profit they make.’ He refers to a long history of friendly relations ‘We were very friendly. We used to go and farm for them, and go and rear their cattle .We also used to help them in harvesting. They come to our farms and make their cattle to sleep there, so that we will have cow dung, an organic fertilizer. All this stopped with the crises, but the culture is coming back now.’ On the new life on the plateau ‘Last year, there was no single casualty. No destruction of farmland and no gunshot. None of the cattle were killed on either side.’
Sani Suleiman, Senior Programme Officer, Search for Common Ground,(SFCG) an NGO which works to support communities to address conflicts nonviolently, looks at other implications of mining ‘This is one of the things that has further stressed the point that the deep rooted causes of the conflict are economic and political in nature. The more communities find means of meeting their economic needs, the more they are able to collaborate. The joint mining activity is a strong indicator that there is progress in terms of peace. Years ago it would have been difficult to see this sort of activity taking place.’ He argues ‘If this mining is helping to bring people together, then government should find a way to legalise, register these people and support them to do it in a legal way. In the long run, we can even see the Fulani pastoralists and Berom farmers jointly coming up with a mining company that is recognized by government and supported by other people. The more this institutional support is being given, the more the people will find common ground that connects them across their economic needs.’ Jos exploded in 2001 but healing has streamed to a land that once bled, and now the guns are silent. From February 1, 2016 up till the present, there has been no violence in Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas of Plateau state, which were once flashpoints of the conflict in the state. Many mentioned this to Daily Trust in the course of this investigation. Mbaka speaks on how the conflict was controlled ‘If a Fulani did something wrong that would hinder the peace, his fellow Fulani would arrest him and bring him to the police. The Fulani will arrest their brother. The same with the Berom, and then peace began to reign in the communities.’ He adds that this was a fall out of many meetings and trainings organised by two NGOs, PARE and Mercycorps. Pam Dadon is the Chief of Sopp, a quiet community in Riyom local government area, and he comments on the developments in the area ‘Those that left their houses to other places, are now coming back. Sopp is witnessing development and people are building houses. We are very pleased with MercyCorps which played a role in turning around the situation here. Now, Fulani men call Berom to their camps, where the Berom buy cows. This was not possible before. Fulani women go to Berom houses and they sell milk.’ He emphasises ‘In the last one year there has been no conflict between the Fulani and the Berom. No life was lost and there was no violence in the area.’
Tog Gang ,Project Manager, MercyCorps sheds light on the activities of his organisation ‘ MercyCorps prides itself as an humanitarian aid agency that goes to places which people ordinarily don’t feel comfortable going .We actually try our best to engage in difficult situations or conflicts that are largely ignored by a wide population.’ Gabriel Dachung, one of the youth leaders at Sopp is euphoric ‘We are enjoying the peace. How I wish it will continue. Without peace, there is no development. Life was so rough during the crises, because even if you have food, you can’t eat it. You are always on alert, not knowing what’s going to happen in the next minute.’ He advises ‘Government should come in and get involved in creating skills acquisition programmes, to capture the mind of the youths and steer them away from crises.’ On the matter of guns, Gang warns ‘If we say that there is peace, what have we done about the guns that exist? Is there any programme for that? We do know that arms exist, and we need to have a system where they are mopped up. What are you doing to diversify the income streams of pastoralist or even farming communities? These are the policy issues, the systemic issues that need to be addressed, because we know now that the reason for conflict is poverty and suffering. As long as the people continue to suffer, don’t get access to good education, good health care, what happens? It builds a system where conflict will thrive, and where do these kinds of people live? They live in our local communities’
The project manager speaks on the Jos crises and the role of MercyCorps in the effort to halt the violence ‘Over the years the farmer-pastoralist conflict has been one of those neglected conflicts. MercyCorps tends to see conflict as an opportunity to initiate change in local communities, looking at the impact this conflict has on Nigeria ,and on different types of populations.’ MercyCorps intervention took the form of dialogue and training of selected members of affected communities. Gang notes ‘But we have seen a reduction in violent conflicts in the two local governments, namely Riyom and Barkin Ladi. Do the conflicts still exist? Yes, they do exist, but we think that the communities are on the right path towards the sustainable peace that we want. What I can say is that