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Farmer-herder conflict claims more casualties than Boko Haram
[ZAMMAGAZINE] The relationship between farmers and herders has grown increasingly tense amid contestations over land, crop damage, cattle stealing, and violence.Although the Boko Haram  ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...insurgency is the most frequently reported security threat, the farmer-herder conflict is now regarded as the most pressing security issue in Nigeria, causing significantly more casualties than Boko Haram and displacing hundreds of thousands of people. The government’s response has received wide criticism, with many claiming they have not done enough to improve security in the region. The violence began as once-off reactions to incitements but has now escalated to far more The conflict, predominantly between farming communities in central and southern regions and nomadic herders from northern Nigeria, was initially a result of desertification and drought in the Sahel region ... North Africa's answer to the Pak tribal areas... in the north that prompted the mass migration of herders southwards to look for water and grasslands. Instability in the northeast caused by Boko Haram and organised crime committed by civilians in the rural northwest and central regions has also forced herders to move southwards. This intrusion to the grazing land in the Middle Belt has also been exacerbated by the presence of militias and the introduction of recent laws that ban open grazing in Benue and Taraba state in the norh eastern part of Nigeria. The conflict has spread southward in recent years, posing a significant threat to the country’s stability. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... the government response has been lacking, with slow response times, impunity for perpetrators of violence and a lack of policies to curb the tension. The increase in the severity of the violence and its geographical reach has had dire humanitarian and economic consequences. Although records of the deaths caused by this conflict are not available, the International Crisis Group reported that between 2011 and 2016 over 2000 people died each year as a result of the violence. This corpse count is higher than that of Boko Haram. The conflict has also caused tens of thousands of people to be displaced, with detrimental consequences to the economy. Because of lack of government intervention conflicts become The disputes are often a result of conflicts over land and water usage as well as interferences of migration routes, stealing livestock, and damaging crops. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... the origins of these tensions date back far further but are repeatedly reignited by a variety of factors. The rapid increase in human settlements, public infrastructure, and the presence of large-scale and commercial farmers have also reduced the availability of grazing reserves that were originally secured by the post-independence government. The subsequent influx of herders to the Savannah and rainforests in central and south Nigeria in addition to a rapidly growing population means that there is a higher demand for farmland, which has increased tensions and caused more crop damage and cattle theft. The lack of government intervention even at a local level means that these disagreements quickly become Posted by: Fred 2021-02-24 |
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