Story by Osuta Yusuf.
In Yumbe District, the council of elders and ministers from the Aringa Kingdom facilitated a peace and reconciliation meeting on Tuesday, 17th September 2024, between the rival Oluba Langi and Oluba Aliba clans, aiming to resolve a deadly land dispute over 600 acres in Bolomoni Village, Odravu West Sub-county, Aringa South Constituency.
The land, farmed by the late Luka Akile Fendru’s family for over 90 years, became the center of conflict when Suleiman Karube Dudu from the Oluba Langi clan claimed ownership, asserting that his family had granted the land to Luka Akile. This disagreement led to a violent clash on 19th August 2024, where two members of the Oluba Langi clan were killed by arrows. The following day, Luka Akile Fendru himself was fatally shot with an arrow.
At the reconciliation meeting, both clans agreed to cease physical confrontations over the land and requested the release of their relatives who had been imprisoned for the murders during the conflict.
Suleiman Karube Dudu, whose son Taban Toah was killed, expressed his belief that his son’s death was part of God’s will, urging his clan not to take up arms over the land again.
Similarly, Anguyo Bosco, son of the late Luka Akile, warned that without peace, more arrests would follow in connection to his father’s death.
Aringa Kingdom’s Minister of Justice, Engule Juma Alhai Gobere, highlighted the importance of alternative dispute resolution, cautioning that further arrests would only escalate insecurity in the region.
The Kingdom’s chairman, Asega Mustafa Muhammad, affirmed their commitment to persuading the government to release the six suspects, allowing for a traditional resolution according to Lugbara customs.
The meeting concluded with a handshake between the two clans and a resolution for the Aringa Kingdom to work with Yumbe District officials to negotiate the release of those imprisoned over the land dispute.