Baba Badjie, the leading complainant in the ongoing land dispute between the Badjie Kunda family and the Sanyang Kunda family in Chabai village, testified on Thursday, April 10, 2025, before the Bondali District Court in Foni Bondali District.
In his testimony, Bazier, a resident of Kanjibato village in the same district, said that his family took the Sanyan Kundha family to court over the land they allegedly belong to Marat, the ancestral village. He explained that they intended to build and resettle homes in Marat, and that the land was historically belonging to grandparents and that their families should inherit the village leaders.
Narrator of the events that led to the conflict, Mr. Badgee said he and his brothers approached Kevte Sanyan, the Sanyan Kunda family, and informed him of his intention to build and live in Marat. He said Sanyan responded by asserting ownership in the area, and that members of the Urov tribe are already inhabited. Mr. Budgie expressed confusion about the claim, saying despite objections his family had begun digging into the foundations of their buildings.
He told the court that their plans were destroyed when some residents were said to have destroyed the foundations, and when Badgie Kunda’s family set fire to the wood that thought of something sacred for spiritual and cultural rituals.
“We are hosts of the Sanyang Kunda family. How can Kebuteh Sanyang do with him owning the land?” he asked.
When asked by the court clerk responsible for cutting down the ritual tree and burning it, Budgie said their investigation pointed to a man known as Ram Shee, a member of the Fana Fana community, and suspected that Sanyan was behind the actions of the Fana Fana people.
Mr. Budgie further revealed that between 2014 and 2015, his family cultivated the land with the consent of Kebuteh Sanyang. “We cultivated there for two years before we decided to build a house and resettle it there,” he told the court.
The case will continue in Bondari District Court.
