By: Alieu Jallow
Sohm and Faraba Sutu in the Kombo East District held a reconciliation meeting two weeks ago following two years of rivalry.
The villages of Sohm and Faraba Sutu, both in the Kombo East District, have reconciled following two years of rivalry. The two villages had a peaceful coexistence until the 2020/2021 Kombo East District tournament when fans from both villages clashed, leading to property damage and the hospitalization of over twenty people. This incident stained their previously harmonious relationship despite sharing boundaries, intermarriage, and businesses.
In an interview with The Fatu Network, Secretary Alagie Jarju of the Sohm Sports Association and Village Development Committee emphasized the importance of using football as a symbol of unity and peace worldwide.
“The reunion is very important, and every citizen needs to respect and uphold the principle of peaceful coexistence because as neighbours, we need to come together to work for the best [interest] of the two communities and nation at large,” Mr Jarju said.
Meanwhile, Lamin A. Jarju, Alkalo of Sohm, highlighted the responsibility of the two young leaders in resolving the community feud and the need to devise mechanisms for finding possible remedies to community crises. He also noted that the massive development underway in the environs would make it hard to identify the boundaries between the two villages.
“We did it to set an example that violence has no place in the Gambia. There is no development with violence, so we can’t develop without reconciling and we did it purposely for people to know that without it there can’t be any meaningful development”.
Jarju further stressed that dialogue is essential in resolving community conflicts.
Alieu Sanyang, the Alkalo for Faraba Sutu, stated that it would be naive to fall for hypocrisy. As he and his counterpart are in constant communication and meetings, saying it was wise to spearhead the reconciliation for today and the future.
Sanyang quickly outlined plans for a road rehabilitation project that connects the two communities. He called on community leaders to resolve feuds.
“In any development, one must take the lead. In this process, I had to call my counterpart for us to sit and discuss ways forward on this issue. So, let’s other Alkalolu and communities take the lead.”
The reconciliation process took shape in the form of a football match where over five hundred spectators drummed, danced and cheered their teams in a game that both anticipated for more than two years.
It appears that instead of resting, the match was followed by a night carnival to help them cope with the agony and grief caused by the many community conflicts in Gambian society, including those based on tribal, caste, political, and land encroachment issues.
