A tale of two communities: Who owns the land? community safety, peace process and land ownership in tiv/jukun communities of Taraba State, Nigeria

2023

Genealogy

The Nigerian Middle Belt is the epicentre of violent conflicts between Fulani herders and sedentary farmers over land and agricultural resources called eco-violence; existing research has not adequately addressed the persistence of these conflicts. Using Social Representations Theory (SRT), this paper examines empirical case studies conducted in April 2018 and May 2022 in Benue State, Nigeria, to determine why these conflicts persist. The paper argues that contending parties anchor, objectify, and socially represent past contestations in pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial Nigeria in present-day realities and events in the Middle Belt, leading to the re-experience of collective memories and their consequences on people’s violent collective behaviour. Consequently, people resort to violence to redress present grievances viewed through the prism of past events. To promote sustainable peace when tackling deeply-rooted conflicts, it is essential to comprehend the historical context and the significance of collective memory while employing a comprehensive strategy for conflict resolution. Implementing the Cognitive Reappraisal Technique to address issues related to collective memories is critical to this approach.

Section: A Brief History Of Eco-violence In the Nigerian Middle Beltmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anchored in History: Understanding the Persistence of Eco-Violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt through Collective Memory

2023

Genealogy

“…Land-use systems, exclusionary practices and contradictory regulatory frameworks have been attributed to the factors causing eco-violence in Nigeria, Ghana, and within the Sahel region, especially between Fulani herders and sedentary farmers (11,34,45,68). Among Nigerians, such socio-economic exclusions include the dichotomous classifications of some people, such as farmers as 'indigenes' and Fulani herders as 'settlers' (42,45,66,68).…”

Section: Eco-violence In the Sahelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Insecurity and the emergence of 'ungoverned spaces' are also fuelling these conflicts (4,43). Recently, corruption related to the vested interests of agro investors and elites has emerged as additional critical factors in the recent upsurge of ecoviolence (10,44); likewise, the framing, construction, and representation of people's lives and the conflicts over water and grazing fields (24,41,45). This article departs from those approaches to investigate how political developments in Nigeria's Middle Belt since 2014 have contributed to the escalation of eco-violence.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Politics of Eco-violence: Why Is Conflict Escalating in Nigeria’s Middle Belt?

2021

Preprint

Competition for natural resources has intensified in recent years between nomadic Fulani herders and sedentary farmers in Nigeria's Middle Belt. What were initially sporadic conflicts over cropland and water have transformed into daily occurrences of mass violence. While extant research focuses on the root causes of such conflicts, the reasons for their escalation remain insufficiently understood. Based on fieldwork conducted during 2018-2019, this article examines how political developments have contributed to the escalation of conflict in the region. Using Homer-Dixon's theory of civil strife as a conceptual framework, the findings show that changes in the 'political opportunity structure' in Nigeria since 2014 were a catalyst for escalating the conflicts. These changes resulted from the 2014 insecurity in Nigeria caused by terrorist acts committed by non-state actors and the outcomes of the 2015 election. The consequences were the unvarnished adoption of nepotistic domestic policies and alliances between elites and militia members.

“…Land-use systems, exclusionary behaviours, and conflicting regulatory frameworks have contributed to eco-violence in Nigeria, Ghana, and the Sahel region, particularly between Fulani herders and sedentary farmers (11,21,33,74). Among Nigerians, such socio-economic exclusions include the dichotomous classifications of some people, such as farmers as 'indigenes' and Fulani herders as 'settlers' (33,71,74,75).…”

Section: Eco-violence In the Sahelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Corruption related to the vested interests of agro investors and elites has emerged as additional critical factors in the recent upsurge of eco-violence (10,32); and likewise, the framing, construction, and representation of people's lives and the conflicts over water and grazing fields (28,33). This article departs from those approaches to investigate how political developments in Nigeria's Middle Belt since 2014 have contributed to the escalation of eco-violence.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Politics of Eco-violence: Why Is Conflict Escalating in Nigeria’s Middle Belt?

2021

Preprint

Competition for natural resources has intensified in recent years between nomadic Fulani herders and sedentary farmers in Nigeria's Middle Belt. What were initially sporadic conflicts over cropland and water resources have transformed into daily occurrences of mass violence. While extant research centres on the root causes of such conflicts, the reasons for their escalation remain insufficiently understood. This article examines how political developments have contributed to the escalation of conflicts in the region. Using Homer-Dixon's model, the findings show that changes in Nigeria's 'political opportunity structure' since 2014 were catalysts for escalating the conflicts. The consequences were the unvarnished adoption of nepotistic domestic policies and alliances between elites and militia members, which escalated the violent conflicts. It advocates the devolution of natural resource and security governance to prevent leaders from leveraging shifts in political opportunity structures to favour a specific demographic group.