Whither Peacebuilding Initiatives? The Escalation of Herder-Farmer Conflicts in Nigeria

Sep 10, 2017 | Akachi Odoemene
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There is a growing trend towards episodic, low-intensity conflicts across Nigeria, particularly in its north-central and southern zones. These conflicts often involve nomadic Fulani herdsmen and sedentary agricultural communities, and result in the unmitigated decimation and sacking of rural communities. Herder-farmer conflicts have escalated in the last decade and assumed a deadly dimension over the past two years. As far back as the 1960s, cattle routes and grazing reserves were created by law in Nigeria. Herdsmen who went outside these areas were arrested and fined, and the money used to compensate farmers for damaged crops. But with rapid urban expansion, increased population pressure on land, and climate change, the cattle routes and grazing reserves have been encroached upon. In some cases, they have even ceased to exist, as a result of land speculation, physical development, and commercial agriculture. Given the increased competition for land, transhumant herdsmen have increasingly trespassed into farmlands while searching for pasture for their cattle, destroying crops and triggering conflicts with farmers. Many affected farming communities have resisted such incursions, preventing the herdsmen’s cattle from entering their farmlands. In some cases, this violence has resulted in injuries, or in the worst cases, deaths, on both sides. There have also been reports of poisoning of both crops and cattle. Hardly a day passes without media reports of attacks by herders armed with sophisticated weapons, including AK-47 rifles, against sedentary agricultural communities. Such attacks are timed for when communities are at their most vulnerable (usually at night) and involve wanton violence, including destruction of property and violence against children, women, and the elderly, with some fatalities. In some cases, people have also been kidnapped and ransomed by people suspected to be herdsmen. Although exact figures are hard to come by, it is estimated that thousands have been killed, with many more displaced by the spiraling violence across predominantly rural communities in Nigeria. However, while the escalating violence is essentially about competition for access to land, a particularly explosive element is the “ethnification” of the identities of the conflict’s parties. The framing of the conflict as ethnic struggles between nomadic, Fulani herdsmen “strangers” and autochthon, agricultural “indigenes” has contributed to its intractability, particularly within the context of Nigeria’s rather volatile identity politics. Given the proliferation of ethnic (and vigilante) militias and tense communal relations, more attention must be paid to the drivers of the conflict and its resolution, as it continues to pose a threat to peace and security in the country.