Fulani extremism

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Ethnic conflicts involving the Fulani people (also known as Fula) occur in West Africa, primarily in Nigeria, but also in Mali, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic, due to conflicts over land and culture. [1] [2] The death count for each attack is small, although the cumulative death count is in the thousands. [1]

Contents

History

Conflict between farmers and herders

The Fulani are largely nomadic/semi-nomadic and live in the semi-arid climate of West Africa. [3] Due to population growth and desertification, Fulani nomads have to move south towards more fertile lands to graze their herds. [4] [5] This created conflicts with the farmers. [3] This resulting violence left a death toll of over 10,000. [4]

These conflicts are being framed as a ethno-religious conflict despite a considerable number of Fulani herdsmen not being Muslim or practicing Muslims. Peaceful Fulani communities have also been attacked and raided by bandits including Fulani militias. Millions of Fulani communities also suffer from stigmatisation and discrimination as they are blamed for the crimes of a few thousand Fulanis. [6] [7]

Attacks

Nigeria

Nigeria experienced the most attacks. January 2018 marked a five year high in the number of events associated with Fulani militias in Nigeria. In 2018, 1,868 fatalities have been attributed to conflicts involving Fulani militias (both in conflicts instigated by the militias and in attacks on its members). In just January 2018, there were 91 violent events associated with Fulani militants, resulting in a reported 302 fatalities. However, these conflicts are not so easily classified. These militias are not a centralized armed group, operating under a specific agenda. Majority of the violence involving these militias revolves around disagreements between pastoralists and farming communities, which is why many describe the conflicts as farmer-herder conflict. Majority of the Fulani in Nigeria are Muslim, leading to describe the violence as a religious conflict [8]

These attacks are typically carried out with firearms, although bombs and kidnapping are also used. They mostly target private property followed by government buildings, businesses and religious institutions. [1] [9] [10]

Mali

Fulani extremism has had much influence in Mali. In 2012, the Malian government was overthrown by Amadou Sanogo. [11] Although tension between the Christian south and the Muslim north was already present, the coup weakened the country and allowed terrorism to rise.

Several Fulani extremist groups have risen in Mali. The Macina Liberation Front (FLM) formed in 2015, and committed 29 attacks with at least 129 casualties. [12] Another group is the National Alliance for the Protection of Fulani Identity and the Restoration of Justice (ANSIPRJ). This group carried out one attack in 2016 that killed 17 and injured 35. [13]

Malian Fulani extremist groups target state facilities rather than private property. A majority of the attacks are done with firearms. [12]

Efforts to reduce this conflict were aided by France, Mali's former colonizer, which sent military aid and assistance. The aid was largely to counter the rise in terror. The United States supported France in this effort. [14] The United Nations sent peacekeeping troops to Mali. However, the peacekeeping troops became a target. [15]

Central African Republic

As of April 2019, fourteen attacks had occurred in the Central African Republic. The main target was private property. The weapon of choice is a firearm. [1]

Democratic Republic of Congo

As of April 2019, one attack had occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [1] On March 26, 2016, Fulani extremists attacked a military base in Ngaliema. The attackers injured a soldier but cost them three of their own men. [16]

Cameroon

In February 2020, Fulani extremists carried out the Ngarbuh massacre alongside Cameroonian soldiers during the Anglophone Crisis. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fula people</span> Ethnic group in Sahel and West Africa

The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people is an ethnic group in Sahara, Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. Inhabiting many countries, they live mainly in West Africa and northern parts of Central Africa, South Sudan, Darfur, and regions near the Red Sea coast in Sudan. The approximate number of Fula people is unknown, due to clashing definitions regarding Fula ethnicity. Various estimates put the figure between 25 and 40 million people worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert blues</span> Musical style of the Sahara region

Tishoumaren or assouf, internationally known as desert blues, is a style of music from the Sahara region of northern and west Africa. Critics describe the music as a fusion of blues and rock music with Tuareg, Malian or North African music. Various other terms are used to describe it including desert rock, Saharan rock, Takamba, Mali blues, Tuareg rock or simply "guitar music". The style has been pioneered by Tuareg musicians in the Sahara region, particularly in Mali, Niger, Libya, Western Sahara, Algeria, Burkina Faso and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuareg rebellion (2012)</span> Early stage of the Mali War

The 2012 Tuareg rebellion was the early phase of the Mali War; from January to April 2012, a war was waged against the Malian government by rebels with the goal of attaining independence for the northern region of Mali, known as Azawad. It was led by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and was part of a series of insurgencies by traditionally nomadic Tuaregs which date back at least to 1916. The MNLA was formed by former insurgents and a significant number of heavily armed Tuaregs who fought in the Libyan Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amadou Sanogo</span> Malian military officer

Amadou Haya Sanogo is a Malian military officer who was leader of the 2012 Malian coup d'état against President Amadou Toumani Touré. He proclaimed himself the leader of the National Committee for Recovering Democracy and Restoring the State (CNRDRE). Sanogo was also said to be involved in the arrest and resignation of acting Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra in December 2012, leading to the appointment of civil servant Django Sissoko as Prime Minister. According to Human Rights Watch, Sanogo’s forces were implicated in serious human rights abuses including torture, sexual abuse, and intimidation against journalists and family members of detained soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fulani herdsmen</span> Nomadic people in West Africa

Fulani herdsmen or Fulani pastoralists are nomadic or semi-nomadic Fulani people whose primary occupation is raising livestock. The Fulani herdsmen are largely located in the Sahel and semi-arid parts of West Africa, but due to relatively recent changes in climate patterns, many herdsmen have moved further south into the savannah and tropical forest belt of West Africa. The herdsmen are found in countries such as Nigeria, Niger, Senegal, Guinea, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, and Cameroon. In Senegal, they inhabit northeastern Ferlo and the southeastern part of the country. In some of these countries the Fula constitute a minority group. They inhabit Northern Nigeria and some parts of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Communal conflicts in Nigeria</span> Communal conflicts in Nigeria

Communal conflicts in Nigeria can be divided into two broad categories:

The Macina Liberation Front is a militant Islamist group that operates in Mali. It is an affiliate of Ansar Dine.

Herder–farmer conflicts in Nigeria are a series of disputes over arable land resources across Nigeria between the mostly-Muslim Fulani herders and the mostly-Christian non-Fulani farmers. The conflicts have been especially prominent in the Middle Belt since the return of democracy in 1999. More recently, they have deteriorated into attacks on farmers by Fulani herdsmen.

Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria is a loose partisan advocacy group centered on promoting the welfare of Fulani pastoralists in Nigeria. The organization was founded in the early 1970s with headquarters in Kaduna. It became legally operational in 1979 and gained wider acceptance as an advocacy group in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogossagou massacre</span> Attacks against Fulani herders in central Mali

On March 23, 2019, several attacks by gunmen killed a reported 160 Fulani herders in central Mali. The violence came in the aftermath of the Malian government cracking down on Islamic terror cells in the country. Two villages, Ogossagou and Welingara, were particularly affected.

On 10 June 2019, the Dogon village of Sobane Da in Mali was attacked. Moulaye Guindo, mayor of neighbouring Bankass, blamed a Fulani militia group. The attack killed 35 people, revised from an earlier claim of 95 killed with 19 missing. A survivor said the attackers numbered about 50, driving motorbikes and pickup trucks. The government of Mali has suspected that terrorists have committed the attack.

The Ruga policy is a Nigerian policy intended to reduce herder–farmer conflicts in Nigeria. Introduced by the Buhari Muhammad Presidency, it is aimed at resolving the conflict between nomadic Fulani herdsmen and sedentary farmers. The policy, which is currently suspended, would "create reserved communities where herders will live, grow and tend their cattle, produce milk and undertake other activities associated with the cattle business without having to move around in search of grazing land for their cows."

Fulani extremism refers to violence by an ethnic group, the Fulani against neighboring farmers of various ethnicities. Nigeria is considered a “melting pot” of different cultural and ethnic groups. Ethnic identification in the country is a complicated amalgamation of primordial and constructivist approaches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nomadic conflict</span> Nomadic conflict

Nomadic conflict, also called farmer–herder conflict, is a type of environmental conflict where farming and herding communities overlap and has been used to refer to fighting among herding communities or fighting between herding and farming communities. This is sometimes referred to as conflict involving “pastoralists” or “nomadic” people and “agriculturalists” or “settled” people. The conflicts usually arise from destruction of crops by livestock and is exacerbated during times when water and lands to graze are scarce.

Anti-Fulani sentiment is the hostility that exists towards Fulani people in Nigeria, Mali and other West African nations and the discrimination that they are subjected to as a result of it. The Fulani are a semi-nomadic ethnic group that is dispersed across several West African countries. Fulani people represent 6% of Nigeria's population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Nasarawa massacre</span> 2021 attack by gunmen in Nasarawa, Nigeria

The 2021 Nasarawa massacre was an attack by Fulani herdsmen gunmen on Tiv civilians that occurred on December 20, 2021, in the state of Nasarawa, Nigeria. The herdsmen killed approximately 52 people according to eyewitnesses in 12 different villages, although the death toll was initially put at least 20 by the Tiv Development Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamist insurgency in the Sahel</span> Insurgency throughout the Sahel and West Africa

An Islamist insurgency has been ongoing in the Sahel region of West Africa since the 2011 Arab Spring. In particular, the intensive conflict in the three countries of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has been referred to as the Sahel War.

On 18 and 19 June 2022, 132 civilians were killed by Islamist insurgents in Bankass Cercle, Mopti Region, Mali.

Livestock production is a part of Nigeria's agriculture system. In 2017, the country had about 80 million poultry birds, 76 million goats, 43.4 million sheep, 18.4 million cattle, 7.5 million pigs, and 1.4 million equids. Livestock agriculture is about 5% of Nigeria's GDP, and 17% of its agriculture GDP.

The Koulogon massacre took place on January 1, 2019, in a Fulani village near the town of Koulogon Habbé, Bankass Cercle, Mali.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "GTD Search Results". www.start.umd.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  2. 1 2 Cameroon: Civilians Massacred in Separatist Area, Human Rights Watch, Feb 25, 2020. Accessed Feb 26, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Baca, Michael W. (2015-07-16). "Farmer-Herder Clashes Amplify Challenge for Beleaguered Nigerian Security". IPI Global Observatory. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  4. 1 2 Ilo, Udo Jude; Jonathan-Ichaver, Ier; Adamolekun, 'Yemi (2019-01-24). "The Deadliest Conflict You've Never Heard of". ISSN   0015-7120 . Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  5. ↑ "Land Conflict Has Long Been a Problem in Nigeria. Here's How Climate Change Is Making It Worse". Time. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  6. ↑ Salkida, Ahmad (2020-06-13). "Fulani: Villain And Victim Of Militia Attacks?". HumAngle. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  7. ↑ Moritz, Mark; Mbacke, Mamediarra (2022-03-23). "The danger of a single story about Fulani pastoralists". Pastoralism. 12 (1): 14. doi: 10.1186/s13570-021-00227-z . ISSN   2041-7136.
  8. ↑ Matfess, Hilary (2018-10-05). "Fulani Militias in Nigeria: Declining Violence Not a Sign of Lasting Peace". ACLED. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  9. ↑ Amnesty International (2018). Harvest of Death Three Years Of Bloody Clashes Between Farmers and Herders in Nigeria (PDF). Maitama, Abuja-FCT, Nigeria: Amnesty International.
  10. ↑ Nwangwu, Chikodiri; Enyiazu, Chukwuemeka (2019). "Nomadic Pastoralism and Human Security: Towards a Collective Action against Herders-Farmers Crisis in Nigeria" (PDF). Nomadic Pastorialism and Human Security: Towards a Collective Action Against Herders-Farmers Crisis in Nigeria | AfriHeritage Working Paper 2019 010.
  11. ↑ "Mali coup d'etat leader Amadou Sanogo says President Amadou Toumani Toure, other officials 'safe and sound'". National Post News. 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  12. 1 2 "GTD Search Results". www.start.umd.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  13. ↑ "National Alliance for the Protection of Peul Identity and Restoration of Justice (ANSIPRJ)". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  14. ↑ "U.S. to keep supporting French military effort in Mali: Pentagon chief". Reuters. 2018-10-02. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  15. ↑ "Terror attacks on the rise in Mali: UN". France 24. 2019-03-05. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  16. ↑ "Incident Summary for GTDID: 201603260030". www.start.umd.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
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