The death toll in the land dispute at Gbiniyiri, a farming community in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District in the Savannah Region, has risen to six.
Five people were killed in the early hours last Sunday, while another person was shot dead on Monday morning.
Also, twelve more people have sustained various degrees of injuries, bringing the total number of injured persons, initially six, to 18, with some said to be in critical condition.
Last Sunday’s incident was reportedly triggered by a disagreement over a parcel of land.
Following the disturbance, a number of residents, particularly women and children, have been displaced, while properties have been destroyed.
Confirming the incident, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, Sinkina Saaka, said the violence erupted after the chief of the community sold a piece of land to a private developer, but some community members resisted the developer’s attempt to access it.
“It all started when the chief sold a piece of land to the developer some years ago.
When the developer came to work on the land, the community members prevented him.
The chief and his son later visited the community to ascertain the situation and were physically attacked,” the DCE explained.
He added that although a joint team of military and police personnel had been deployed to the area, tensions were still very high.
According to him, the perpetrators were now moving from the scene of the incident to launch attacks on nearby communities, and due to the scattered nature of the settlements, it had become difficult for the security agencies to access all the affected areas.
He added that the District Security Council (DISEC) was working closely with the regional security command to intensify patrols in the area to prevent further escalation.
He pointed out that stakeholders, including traditional and opinion leaders, were also being engaged to help calm tempers and foster peaceful dialogue among the feuding parties.
Mr Saaka, however, appealed to feuding factions to lay down their weapons and use dialogue to settle their differences.
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