The clash was triggered by two attacks against Boba villages, including one in July 2009, in which 200 homes were burnt down.
"The clashes could have been prevented – or at least curbed – had there been more oversight of the distribution of resources at the Iwandi pool," said local analyst Polycarpe Nyalua.
Iwandi is one of the most prolific fishing spots along the River Ubangi which runs along the border between the two countries. In February 1972, according to a Congolese army information officer, a pact was signed that would have shared fishing resources in Iwandi, putting an end to what he described as illegal fishing by the Boba.
A generation later, the Boba have revoked the pact and banned the Lobala from accessing the forest or the pools, the officer who preferred anonymity explained. Lobala difficulties were compounded by the dramatic decline in the other mainstay of the local economy: agriculture. Coffee, cocoa and palm oil plantations across the Kungu region were virtually abandoned despite population increases.
Source: Africa World News