Ethnic Conflict Stoked by Terrorist Groups and Arms Smuggling in the Sahel
By: Emily Przyborowski
Ahmed Di Ba, herder in Mauritania by Oxfam International
Washington — Fulani herdsmen and Dogon farmers in the Sahel region have been clashing over land and water resources for years, but a decrease in land used for arable farming and grazing has increased tensions. The decrease in available land is linked to the expansion of commercial farming, corporate mining, and competitive overuse of common resources — all of which are exacerbated by climate change.
Tensions ignited in June 2017, when a wave of reprisal attacks between the two groups led to numerous deaths. The increase in violence coincided with the expansion of jihadist groups in the region.
Fulani herdsmen, with a population of approximately 38-40 million, are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. The Dogon farmers, with a population between 400,000-800,000, live in the central plateau of Mali and Burkina Faso. The Dogon accuse the Fulani of using their farmlands for grazing, while the Fulani claim the Dogon are killing and stealing their cattle.
According to the Human Rights Watch, violence in Mali killed over 450 civilians in 2019, much of which is attributed to clashes between the Fulani and Dogon communities. The conflict between herders and farmers in Nigeria killed 1,300 people in 2018, six times as many people than Boko Haram.
The escalating violence between the two groups has contributed to larger conflicts in the region – displacing millions of people, increasing malnutrition, threatening trade routes and natural resources, and triggering mass atrocities. Some argue the conflict shows early signs of genocide.
The violence is fueled by alliances with terrorist organizations and the Malian government. The Dogon accuses Fulanis of associating with jihadist groups in the region — especially Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin' (JNIM). JNIM is an al Qaeda affiliate formed by the alliance of multiple Jihadist groups in the region.
To further bolster Fulani membership, JNIM has begun producing Fulani language propaganda — appealing to Fulanis across Africa. In many of the videos, JNIM leadership appeals to Fulanis throughout the continent to launch reprisal attacks.
Malian authorities and the United Nations have accused Fulani jihadists and JNIM of stoking tensions between ethnic groups throughout Mali. JNIM benefits from exploiting instability in the Sahel as it allows them to claim a role as a local defense force and gain support from the public. With a broader base of support, JNIM can more easily launch cross-border attacks and recruit outside of Mali.
JNIM has claimed multiple attacks against the Dogans including an attack in March 2020, killing 24 Dogans.
The Malian government is aligned with the Dogons, which according to the Fulanis allows them to cooperate with the Malian military to marginalize and attack them. By openly siding with the Dogons, the Malian government loses legitimacy and the support of Malian citizens. JNIM will only exploit this loss of support to further their aims.
Also linked to the increase in conflict is arms proliferation in the region — much of which is connected to terrorist groups. The availability of weapons has transformed what were once local level conflicts into cycles of retaliatory violence that are increasingly deadly. While disputes between the two groups were once handled with peace treaties and land agreements, members of the farmer-herder communities feel empowered to take matters into their own hands with their newfound weapons.
Fulanis and Dogans are obtaining weapons from a variety of sources, including national stockpiles, foreign suppliers, and smuggling networks. According to reports, weapons linked to farmer-herder violence in Nigeria have been traced to Iraq and Turkey.
There is no easy solution to disarming these groups as additional military aid could be counterproductive without improved development and governance. Militant groups often gain access to weapons sold by international partners, feeding into ongoing violence and instability.
As violence in the Sahel continues to rise, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, and the United States mulls reducing its footprint in Africa, violence between the Fulani and Dogon communities will only increase. The growth of terrorism in the Sahel will only further distract the international community from focusing on solutions to this farmer-herder conflict.