Following the killing of two young people in the wake of violence clashes in Lenkenkoro Village in the Wara wara Yagala chiefdom mainly Limba people, Paramount Chief Magba Koroma of Diang Chiefdom has been accused of inciting tribal violence in the chiefdom.
Both Diang and Wara Wara Yagala Chiefdoms share boundary and both had a long standing land dispute with tension mounting over the years. PC Magba is at the centre, accused to have incited young people from the Koranko side to take arms against their Limba counterparts.
According to history, the Limbas were the first settlers of wara wara yagala Chiefdom and had live there for centuries without disturbances.
“Our Limba people need justice as what happens to them was unfortunate. Violence has no place in this society and there is every need for government to do all it can in bringing those responsible for the killing of two young people to book,” said Peter Bayuko Konteh, Former Minister of Works and Government Assets.
The former Minister expresses dissatisfaction over the long delay in investigating the incident, leaving the Limba people of no hope in finding justice.
Konteh said Limba people are very peaceful and law abiding people who would not want to take the law into their hands.
“Koinadugu district is the Land of powerful mixture. This is the only district that is home to a number of powerful ethnicities. The district is a multi-ethnicity district, a gift we are proud of. So violence or tribal disturbance should have no place within, Konteh emphasized.
He said the violence that led to the killing of unarmed civilians were perpetrated by Chief Magba and this is something that should not be swept under the carpet.
“It’s three weeks since the violence and killing. The Limba people had wanted to mobilize from different towns to revenge. If not for the police and military it would have been disastrous. We don’t want this to continue and the reason we are calling for a speedy investigation into the incident,” he said.
Peter Bayuko Konteh noted that the Limba people are crying for justice, waiting to see what government will do.
“I am not defending my people but the method Chief Magba used to kill my people is unjust. This type of behavior should have no place in a civilized society. We want government to demarcate the chiefdoms to avoid a reoccurrence of the incident” Peter Bayuku demanded.
The two individuals killed and those wounded are Limba people. They were killed in cold blood when a group of armed young people from Diang Chiefdom of Koranko descent descended on them in Lenkekoro village.
The motivated young Koranko youth backed by their paramount Chief, PC Magba Koroma were armed with shoot guns, machetes, knives, stick and stones.
Report monitored reveals that members of the Koranko ethnic group descended on their Limba counterparts in Lenkekoro Village killing two of them and wounding many others.
In the wake of the violence clashes Local Unit Commander in the area, Ibrahim Barrie, said both fatalities resulted from machete wounds sustained during the violent clashes perpetrated mainly by motivated Koranko youth. The violence is said to have erupted from a long-standing land dispute, between the two chiefdoms—Wara Wara Yagala, predominantly Limba, and Diang, largely Koranko—separated only by a single street.
Commander Barrie after the clashes said police had been aware of mounting ethnic tensions and had previously cautioned both sides to exercise restraint and resolve the matter through lawful means. However, the situation escalated beyond control on Saturday morning, culminating in the deadly confrontation.
It’s over three weeks since the incident and yet much progress have not been made in the investigation. The Limba people of Wara Wara Yagala are now calling on the government as they seek justice for their slain young people. PC Magba Koroma is yet to respond to the allegations, despite several calls and messages sent to him.
