SUMMARY

The conflict between the Bangesh and the Mangal tribes is closely related to the specific dynamics that prevail in the Kurram Agency of Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Unlike the rest of Pakistan, Kurram Agency has a large Shia population. Some tribes, as for example the Bangesh tribe, are divided into clans that adhere to the Sunni form of Islam while other clans are mainly Shia. The strong representation of Shia Islam in Kurram Agency is one reason why the dynamics in this part of the tribal belt differ from most other provinces in the border region. The Sunni-Shia divide has contributed to a lot of sectarian tension and violence in Kurram Agency. Relations between Sunni and Shia worsened after Afghan refugees, coming to Kurram in the 1980s, introduced a militant form of Sunni Islam. Shia clans and tribes with an anti-Taleban orientation often opposed to offer shelter to militants affiliated to Al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taleban. Not least, the presence of Shia tribes has made it more difficult for TTP and other Pakistan-based Sunni militant organizations to gain influence in the agency. In the recent years, however, TTP militants from neighbouring agencies supported Sunni tribes in their fight against Shia tribes.

Often related to the sectarian conflicts in Kurram are conflicts between tribes and clans over land or water resources like the conflict between members of the Bangesh and the Mangal tribes. Both sides used heavy weapons in a number of clashes that ceased after a tribal jirga eventually negotiated a ceasefire.

The non-state conflict between the Bangesh and the Mangal tribes is first included in UCDP data in 2010. In September that year fighting between the two tribes resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.