Cattle rustling violence in Madagascar left more than 161 people dead including 12 soldiers last year, a surge that the island nation has experienced over the last years.
The stolen cattle are also exported to the neighbouring Comoros islands despite government ban.
“We have had a rather heavy toll: 11 killed and about 30 wounded among soldiers and some 100 dead, 150 to be precise, for the dahalos (rustlers),” said Madagascan army General Beni Xavier Rasolofonirina speaking to AFP
The humped Zebu cattle is a much sought after cattle in the country which is the leading reason for the high cases of its theft in the country. It is a tradition in Madagascar’s rural areas for young men to hunt the cattle to show their masculinity.
Zebu is precious to the Malagasy people, precious enough to symbolise wealth. The cattle are only eaten during a feast such as weddings, or burial rituals or sacrificed for ancestral worship.
The practise of stealing them has fuelled community violence. The army has been accused of carrying out extra-judicial killings and burning down villages when intervening in the violence between communities.
