Nigeria is experiencing a major conflict between nomadic herdsmen and indigenous farmers. In 2016, the conflict led to the death of 2,500 people, displaced 62,000 others and led to loss of US$13.7 billion in revenue. In January 2018 alone, the conflict claimed the lives of 168 people

Adekola, Olalekan

English

UWE Bristol Research Repository

06/04/2018 Nigeria's conflict is a result of environmental devastation across West Africahttps://theconversation.com/nigerias-conflict-is-a-result-of-environmental-devastation-across-west-africa-91694 1/4AuthorOlalekan AdekolaLecturer in Geography, York St JohnUniversityAcademic rigour, journalistic flairNigeria’s conflict is a result of environmental devastationacross West AfricaFebruary 22, 2018 4.10pm GMTNigeria is experiencing a major conflict between nomadic herdsmen and indigenousfarmers. In 2016, the conflict led to the death of 2,500 people, displaced 62,000others and led to loss of US$13.7 billion in revenue. In January 2018 alone, theconflict claimed the lives of 168 people.The herdsmen are predominantly Fulanis, a primarily Muslim people scatteredthroughout many parts of West Africa. The farmers, meanwhile, are mostly Christian.Therefore, when violence erupts between the two groups, with symbolic results likechurches being burnt down, it is unsurprising that the dominant narrative in Nigeriaand abroad is that this is a conflict motivated by religion and ethnicity.What’s missing is the environmental perspective. Nigeria spans more than 1,000km from a lush andtropical south to the fringes of the Sahara Desert in the north. And, in Nigeria, the Sahara is movingsouthward at a rate of 600 metres a year. At the same time, Lake Chad in the country’s far north-easthas largely dried up. Fulani herdsmen who once relied on the lake have thus moved further south insearch of pasture and water for their livestock. The further south you move, the more the populationbecomes Christian, hence when resource conflicts emerge they appear religious.roseshutterstock25 / shutterstockFebruary 22, 2018 4.10pm GMTNigeria’s conflict is a result of environmental devastationacross West Africa06/04/2018 Nigeria's conflict is a result of environmental devastation across West Africahttps://theconversation.com/nigerias-conflict-is-a-result-of-environmental-devastation-across-west-africa-91694 2/4Such conflicts between herdsmen and farmers aren’t entirely new. A drought in the late 60s, forinstance, kicked off struggles over land use across the Sahel, and the Fulanis do have a history of strategic annexation of territories. What’s new this time round is that the conflict has taken on anentirely different scale, as a problem once restricted to the north of Nigeria has become a major issuein the country’s south.This is because environmental devastation has necessitated widespread migration of Fulanis from allover West Africa to the south of Nigeria, which has been unable to prevent nomads from othercountries from coming in along its long borders. The influx of new people has disrupted the existingdynamics and relationship between predominantly farming local communities and nomadicherdsmen.But environmental explanations are largely ignored in favour of talk of ethnic or religious conflict.Such talk quickly becomes highly emotive, preventing a full analysis of all the driving forces behindthe conflict. The dominance of the “ethnic war” narrative therefore makes it harder to develop holisticand sustainable solutions and, in a country that is a mix of cultures and religions, puts national unityand peace-building at risk.Silence from the authoritiesThe government’s response to all this has been near silence. In the vacuum, political explanationshave emerged, often from people with a vested interest. For instance, elites and political leaders fromaffected regions suspect the president, Muhammadu Buhari, who himself is Fulani, of being complicitin the attacks (though they have stopped short of directly accusing him). There’s no evidence thepresident has anything to do with the conflict but, in a hierarchical society like Nigeria, the word ofelites can be taken as gospel.The lake has lost 95% of its original size. The Nigerian portion has almost entirely disappeared. wiki06/04/2018 Nigeria's conflict is a result of environmental devastation across West Africahttps://theconversation.com/nigerias-conflict-is-a-result-of-environmental-devastation-across-west-africa-91694 3/4The central government has proffered solutions such as cattle “colonies”, which take lands fromindigenous farmers and give it to the Fulanis to graze. But among the farmers this only reinforcesworries of an ethnic land grab.The president has often spoken of “recharging” Lake Chad to its former size, perhaps using water diverted from the Ubangi River in the Congo basin, and he recently spoke on the subject at an African Union conference. Yet the lake still is not really built into the government’s strategy for the farmer-herder conflict.Healthy lake, peaceful peopleSo what would a sustainable and just solution to the conflict actually involve? Lake Chad certainly willneed to be “recharged”, along with a massive programme of tree growing and sustainable watermanagement. This will require the engagement of neighbouring countries – who have serious environmental problems of their own – and the support of international donor agencies, but it wouldgo a long way towards stemming the migration southward and should reduce incidences of conflict.The government must also recognise, publicly, that this is at root a conflict over resources exacerbatedby environmental problems. It must point this out when the need arises, rather than waiting untilhalf-truths dominate public discourse.The Nigerian media, for its part, often thrives on emotive narratives. But this story of conflict betweenherders and farmers calls for less sensationalism and more investigative journalism that helps revealNigeria Newsdesk@NigeriaNewsdeskNasarawa South lost over 50 people, 83 villages to herdsmen attacks in one month – TIDA nnd.ng/QGv6mY via @todayng1:30 AM - Feb 19, 20186 See Nigeria Newsdesk's other Tweets06/04/2018 Nigeria's conflict is a result of environmental devastation across West Africahttps://theconversation.com/nigerias-conflict-is-a-result-of-environmental-devastation-across-west-africa-91694 4/4Nigeria West Africa nomadic pastoralists Global Perspectivesfurther nuances to the complex issue. This isn’t a simple tale of ethnic conflict – the environmentcannot be ignored.We produce knowledge-based, ethical journalism. Please donate and help us thrive.Make a donation 

Nigeria’s conflict is a result of environmental devastation across West Africa

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Nigeria’s conflict is a result of environmental devastation across West Africa

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