Mohamed's Story: The Climate Conflict Trap in the Lake Chad Basin

Nov 19, 2019 | Noah Gordon
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Years ago, Mohamed’s family had enough to eat, despite being poor. His daughter owned a vegetable stall at a bustling market in northeastern Nigeria. The family had options: during the dry season, when Lake Chad was shallow, Mohamed could farm; and during the wet season, he could fish or graze his cattle.

But then things began to change. In the 1970s and 1980s, a severe drought struck the Western Sahel, destabilizing the entire region. There was a rise of armed groups such as Boko Haram, which terrorized the area and forced villagers to flee their homes—though also offered services that national governments couldn’t provide.