SUMMARY

The Afar and the Kereyou have traditionally been enemies. However, in the past conflicts were often resolved through the Kereyou’s traditional conflict resolution mechanism, the Arrarra. This mechanism began to falter some decades ago. According to local elders, the problem dates back to the late 1970s, when local representatives of the military regime attempted to hijack the process. Government-appointed “elders” undermined the Arrarra through corruption and malpractice and the groups lost confidence in the mechanism. Analysts argue that the break-down of the Arrarra mechanism leads to more instability and to increased conflict between the Kereyouand the Afar.

In conjuncture with the erosion of the Arrarra, the hostile relations worsened as both groups became increasingly pressured by loss of grazing land and severe droughts. Commercial farming and migrations by other ethnic groups have pushed the Afar into a marginal area, forcing them, in turn, to push further south into the traditional migration areas of the Kereyou. The Kereyou have experienced similar developments and have at times crossed over into Afar](/#actor/572) territory.

Competition over scarce resources become even more desperate in the early 2000s, when prolonged droughts meant that traditional pastures failed to re-grow during the expected wet season. In 2002 the drought sparked fighting between the two groups when Afar pastoralists moved into Kereyou territory in search for grazing. The drought continued in 2003 and the two groups continued to clash.

The non-state conflict between the Afar and the Kereyou is first included in UCDP data in 2002. In December that year clashes between the two groups brought the death toll over the 25 battle-related death threshold.