Farmers-Herders Conflicts in Nigeria: A Position for FBOs?

This weblog was initially posted on NewSecurityBeat, a weblog of the Environmental Change and Safety Program on the Wilson Heart.

Nigeria is residence to many violent conflicts, one in all which is the farmers-herders battle that has posed extreme safety challenges within the nation. The human toll of the violence has been immense, claiming extra lives than the Boko Haram insurgency. Lots of of hundreds of individuals have been killed or displaced. Nigeria has additionally skilled elevated ethnic, regional, and non secular polarization, and this disaster has undermined nationwide stability and unity.

But Nigeria can also be one of the crucial non secular international locations on the planet. And whereas important consideration is given to understanding the drivers of the battle and the efforts of state actors in resolving the battle, little consideration has been dedicated to analyzing the peacebuilding function of non-state actors similar to non secular establishments—also known as religion based mostly organizations (FBOs). These teams are more and more energetic and efficient non-state actors in worldwide and home peacebuilding in Nigeria.

The hole that these FBOs search to fill is critical. The insincerity and failure of the political elites and weak governance by establishments have failed to deal with each systemic challenges (poverty, inequality, local weather change, rising political violence, and Islamic insurgency) and extra rapid crises (COVID-19, monetary programs). Many victims are turning to faith—and FBOs—for options.

The Roots of Battle

The battle between farmers and herders (also called “pastoralists”) is centered on a collision between two methods of life on shared land. But, each teams are important as a result of Nigeria depends closely on agricultural produce from each of them. Non secular perception and geography additionally divide the 2 teams. Herders are predominantly Muslims hailing from northern Nigeria, whereas farmers are predominantly Christians and reside in each the southern and northern components of the nation.

Regardless of these divides, each teams have cohabited for many years. Many pastoral and farming settlements developed symbiotic relationships by reciprocity, financial exchanges, and assist. Nonetheless, there was a lower in financial cooperation as local weather change decreases each the supply—and entry to—shared land and water assets. More and more, the farmer-herder relationship is characterised by violent conflicts.

The Position of FBOs: Interfaith Mediation Centre

The function of FBOs—and the non secular leaders who function them—is vital in Nigerian peacebuilding. These organizations are extremely revered, and non secular leaders get pleasure from excessive standing of their communities. This social capital and “divine” mission give non secular leaders important legitimacy. It additionally permits them to occupy a novel place in influencing and addressing the wants of the individuals and finishing up peacebuilding roles. This public notion additionally offers non secular leaders with avenues to affect society in key areas, together with conduct, norms, and civil obligations.

One instance of how this notion results in motion was the institution of the Interfaith Mediation Centre (IMC) in response to the outbreak and escalation of violent battle between farmers and herders in Kaduna State in northern Nigeria in 1992.  The middle’s preliminary goal was to mediate that battle, however it has additionally been energetic in providing help to resolve different non secular conflicts in Kaduna state and past for a few years.

The 2 non secular leaders who created the IMC—Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye—had been initially energetic in championing the escalation of the 1992 battle. Their choice to affix forces led to a subsequent de-escalation of the discord. They haven’t solely used their company to achieve out to militias, however they’ve additionally facilitated coaching periods that enable neighborhood members (together with youths, girls, non secular figures, and conventional or ethnic leaders) to turn out to be civic peace activists. The aim is to create a extra tolerant, cooperative neighborhood during which all teams can coexist peacefully.

IMC’s grassroot efforts to advertise peace within the area have additionally expanded into regional tasks and capability constructing packages to deal with ethnic, non secular, and farmer-herder conflicts. The group has additionally launched into early warning and early response community-based initiatives just like the Neighborhood Peace Motion Community (CPAN), which collects, analyzes, and disseminates battle and peace info coming from areas of disaster. The aim is to forestall anticipated violent battle, and affect choice making by related actors concerned within the scenario.

Steady dialogue with the battle’s major stakeholders—the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Affiliation of Nigeria and the All-Farmers Affiliation of Nigeria—has additional strengthened this FBO’s interventions. The IMC’s engagement and collaboration have offered avenues for numerous communities to de-escalate tensions—and likewise to make sure that the aggrieved events act upon their suggestions.

A Rising Motion

The instance of the IMC’s peacebuilding efforts has motivated extra non secular leaders to tackle battle decision roles to additional obtain lasting peace amongst non secular teams in Nigeria. “They pioneered peacebuilding in Kaduna, and I made a decision to get into it to contribute my quota,” noticed Pastor Yohanna Buru in an interview with the Heart for Faith and Civic Tradition on the College of Southern California (USC).

Pastor Buru’s response was to begin the Kaduna-based Peace Revival and Reconciliation Basis of Nigeria, a nonprofit that works to assist Muslims and Christians settle for one another and respect their non secular, ethnic, and social variations.

Different FBOs have additionally entered the image. The Nationwide Inter-Non secular Council (NIREC), comprised of 25 Christians and 25 Muslims, has additionally been energetic within the peacebuilding enviornment. When an assault on Christians by Fulani herdsmen led to a subsequent counterattack by native Christian youths in Nigeria’s north-central state of Benue in 2018, the NIREC helped to implement a peaceable coexistence between farmers and herders.

The method by which the NIREC did so demonstrates the ability of FBOs to hold out peace interventions. The council’s leaders initiated a dialogue between the events to the battle, advising and counseling them to be forgiving and affected person, and to use classes from non secular teachings. The NIREC has additionally established its personal early warning and response programs for native conflicts. And, at the side of native governments and conventional establishments, the council has developed grassroots battle decision infrastructure similar to mediation and restorative justice models and processes.

What Should Be Carried out Subsequent?

As we have now seen, FBOs are a wealthy useful resource for peacebuilding efforts. Non secular leaders and establishments have turn out to be vital stakeholders and a central element of those actions as a result of they’re trusted by the individuals.

But, whereas these interventions have been largely profitable, important and noticeable spontaneous assaults within the battle between farmers and herders nonetheless happen. The absence of African Conventional Faith’s (ATR) participation in interfaith mediations between farmers and herders in Nigeria additionally challenges the inclusive nature of FBOs in Nigeria.

There’s a function for the worldwide neighborhood to play in these efforts. Governments and NGOs may help FBOs to strengthen their battle mediation, decision, reconciliation, and peacebuilding capacities—particularly within the communities most affected by battle. This assist may very well be achieved with funding initiatives to coach non secular leaders and enhance their mediation abilities, in addition to funding and creating extra strong native early warning, battle decision, and restorative justice frameworks for native conflicts. These efforts may additionally present platforms for events to a dispute to work together and pursue collective dialogue on long-lasting options to their battle.

There’s additionally a transparent want for FBOs to undertake a extra inclusive strategy that gives conventional establishments with the chance to take part in interfaith dialogue and peacebuilding. Such an initiative would help in bridging the gaps within the course of the place conventional issues that contain victims of this battle are left unaddressed.

Lastly, these conflicts should even be addressed by an interdisciplinary lens. Researchers and specialists within the fields of battle decision, improvement and peace research, peacekeeping, and post-conflict reconstruction should discover the chances supplied by FBOs and conduct in depth analysis that examines their rising impression on battle decision in Nigeria.