The United States government says it is interested in the return of peace to states within the north central Nigeria, which have been experiencing clashes between herdsmen and farmers in the region.

Briefing reporters after a meeting with the Nasarawa State government in Lafia on Wednesday, US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr James Entwistle, expressed the US’s concern and stressed the need for peace in the region before the 2015 elections.

At the meeting, issues relating to peace in the region were discussed.

Mr Entwistle said the United States’ campaign on non-violent election was important to the region with the growing concern of insecurity months to the general election and called for understanding.

He observed that the violence was as a result of shrinking amount of farmland and grazing areas and asked the government to seek ways of making land available.

Proffering solutions to the crisis, the state governor, Tanko Al-Makura, said community based conflict resolution remained the best approach to the crisis.

Governor Al-Makura said committees, which include farmers, herdsmen, traditional rulers and all stakeholders involved, would continue to fine tune ways of reducing the friction to the barest minimum.

“I would appeal that everybody within Nasarawa and Benue States should take the issue of reconciliation and community based approach to solution to the problem to be everybody’s problem.

“Casting aspersion or making wild allegations will not help matters, as these are issues that need to be sorted out amicably so that our people could have enduring peace and stability,” he said.

He promised to promote the reconciliation approach, expressing hopes that with the understanding of both states the matter would come to an end soon.

After the US Ambassador left for Plateau State, the Joint Security Committee between Nasarawa and Benue state held a meeting with Governor Al-Makura and agreed to continue with the community based conflict resolution and peace approach.

Herdsmen suspected to be Fulani have attacked several farmers’community in Nasarawa and in Benue States, killing dozens and burning down property.

In some cases, they chase the dwellers away and take full possession of the land.

A Security analyst and a retired military personnel, Captain Aliyu Umar, had said that the herdsmen may not be Fulani people but people trying to scuttle the peace of the region, calling on the security agencies to take full control of the region and restore peace.