Cattle, Banditry, and Violent Conflict in Africa: An Examination of Pastoralist-Induced Conflict in Northern Uganda and Nigeria

In Africa, pastoralism has sustained communities by helping in the generation of wealth and fostered economic interdependence between cattle herders and farmers in the region. An estimated 200 million Africans, mostly the poor depend on substance farming and raising of livestock as a source of livelihood. However, the conflict between these two groups has continued to have a devastating effect on the continent leading to the loss of lives and property. This paper examines in nexus between cattle, banditry, and violent conflict in Northern Uganda and Nigeria. With the aid of secondary data sourced from articles, newspapers, reports, and books, the finding of the research shows that in Uganda, cattle-related violence is more pronounced in the Karamoja area of Northern Uganda. After fourteen years of disarmament of cattle rustlers by the Ugandan People’s Defense Force (UPDF) in 2003 and 2008, there has been a resurgence of cattle rustling and raids since September 2019. Conflict in South Sudan and anarchy in Northwest Kenya have contributed to weapons stockpiling in the Karamoja region. In Nigeria, the Northwest and the North Central regions are the hardest. The conflict which started due to a disagreement between pastoralist and farmers have become a security challenge for the Nigerian State. Big-time syndicates, kidnappers, terrorists, and heavily armed bandits are having a field day in this region. The conflict has also been attributed to weapons sourced from Libya after the fall of Gadhafi. Both conflicts have led to the loss of lives and property in the respective regions.