Atyaps, Hausa and Fulani Youths in Zangon Kataf LGA, Kaduna working working towards living together peacefully
Atyaps a community in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area, Kaduna South has had its own fair share of historical intercommunal clashes. The origins of these conflict dates back to 1992 where restricted access to resources became the motivation for continuous crisis and reprisal attacks between the Atyaps indigenes, Hausa community and the Fulanis. With the heightened crisis in early 1990 which reached its peak in 1992 over the relocation of a market which led to the displacement of the Hausa community. The return of the Hausa community met with the challenges of land encroachment which activated a type of land dispute between the Atyap and Hausa communities.

Fulanis in the process became victims of this crossfire possibly due to their religious affiliations. At the moment, the conflict has grown and now masqueraded itself into different forms of a farmer/herder conflict but over the years it was clear that the root cause of this conflict was embedded in adequate access to natural resources. Victor Abarshi, a sub-grantee organization playing a positive role through the LAF, has been able to jump start a successful entry-level dialogue meeting with the three conflict communities; Atyaps, Hausa and Fulani communities. Though several peacebuilding activities have taken place in the region, for the first time an entry-level dialogue meeting has encouraged good representation of the Zango Urban Community after several years passed. The intra-dialogue meetings involved key stakeholders in the communities to seek permission to engage the youths in a participatory dialogue in order to gain more insight of the nature and dynamics of the conflicts between the Atyap, Hausa and the Fulani in the community.

Farmers and Herders were always at war and the Atyap community accused the Fulanis of gang gazing, serving as spies and moving with guns while rustling their goats and sheeps during grazing and further accused the Hausa communities of giving cover in such scenarios. Also the Atyaps, say the Hausa and Fulani communities do not respect the traditional rulership in Atyap Chiefdom and that many of their crops were destroyed by both the Hausa and Fulanis. On the other hand the Fulani have complained of the hate speech against them as they had continually been labeled as terrorist and bandits.

The Hausas complained and alleged that their lands were hijacked by the Atyap community since 1992 and till date such lands have not been returned. The Fulanis also claim injustices by the Atyaps leaders towards them. Both Hausa and Fulani complained about political marginalisation. Owing to all the crises women and children were usually the highest casualty falling victim when such clashes erupt. Across the three communities the success of this peace process was such that all communities present have agreed to step down the dialogue sessions within their community and the youth also have promised to give their maximum support through this process.