Two killed in farmers, pastoralists clash in Tanzania

Two people were killed and several others injured in northeastern Tanzania's region of Tanga in a fresh outbreak of fighting between farmers and pastoralists, police said on Friday.

David Mnyambunga, Acting Tanga Regional Police Commander (RPC), said the fighting between the two communities erupted in Handeni District, whereby two people have been killed.

The police chief said the incident occurred on Thursday at around 5 p.m. local time in Manga village when pastoralists from Mang'ati communities from Coast Region took their cattle into people's farms.

"And farmers tried to chase the cattle out of their farms, the pastoralists resisted the situation that fueled the conflict and caused the fight," the RPC said, adding that one of the pastoralists was shot dead and a farmer was killed after being stabbed by a spear.

He further said that the fight was stopped by police who stormed the area after being informed of the ongoing fight between the two groups.

Mnyambunga said that four people have been arrested in connection with the incident, which caused lots of panic in the area.

"But, as of today (Friday), things have come to normal," the RPC told Xinhua.

For more than a decade, the fight between farmers and pastoralists has been eminent across Tanzania and most of the time the fight is being caused by limited land, pastures, and water.

Tanzania's worst conflict between pastoralists and farmers occurred in December 2000 in Kilosa district, Morogoro region, where 38 farmers were killed. Hostilities reignited in 2008 and eight people were killed, several houses set alight and livestock was stolen. Endit