SUMMARY
The northern states of Nigeria are home to 53 million people, and over 160 ethnicities. Northern Nigeria, namely Kano and Kaduna states are home to a majority of Nigeria’s Muslim population. The issue of religion has on several occasions been problematic, especially concerning the minority-majority relationships between the Muslim and the Christian population. Fear of domination has led to a situation where mistrust and suspicion between the different groups run high. Religious beliefs are often unanimous within ethnic groups; the clashes between Christians and Muslims can therefore often be seen and reported as clashes between the different ethnicities. Given the divided and sometimes even suspicious mindset of the different groups the animosities between the groups tend to accumulate and erupt, often in relation to what is perhaps a trivial argument. It should however be understood that the ethnic and religious differences are present in concert with various divides and perceived injustices making even the smallest issue a potential conflict.
The other dyads that belong to the same northern Nigeria cluster of non-state conflicts are; Hausa – Ninzam,Hausa – Kataf and Hausa – Igbo, Yoruba.
Analysts have pointed out historical roots for tensions between the Hausa people and the Igbo people, and hostilities have been prominent especially since Nigerian independence. The Hausa are Muslim and dominate northern Nigeria together with the [Fulani(/#actor/607) people, while the Igbo are mainly Christian and reside primarily in south-eastern Nigeria. During British colonial rule, Igbo were given preferential treatment while at the same time Northern political domination was consolidated, which exacerbated tensions between these groups. An Igbo-led coup in 1966 and the Biafra secessionist conflict in 1967-70 saw large-scale organized violence between Igbo and northern Muslims.
After the Biafra conflict, Igbo were largely discriminated against, politically and socially, and tensions between Igbo and Hausa / [Fulani(/#actor/607) remained. Although the situation improved for the Igbo people with the end of military rule in 1999, they continued to seek more political rights and protection of religious freedoms, especially with the introduction of Islamic Sharia law in some states. Among Hausa and other Northerners, meanwhile, grievances have been spurred by relative economic disadvantage in comparison with southern groups. The general instability in the country since independence has also created security concerns causing different ethnic groups to seek protection from each other. Tensions between Igbo and Hausa thus have political, religious and ethnic dimensions, and are part of a larger complex of non-state conflicts along ethnic, religious and regional lines, especially prominent since the end of military rule in 1999. Often, such divisions have been exploited by local leaders to incite violence against other groups. Within this context, Igbo and Hausa have clashed on several occasions. In 2000, massive ethnic and religious clashes broke out in the northern city of Kaduna, almost equally divided between Christians (mainly from different southern ethnic groups) and Muslims (mainly from the Hausa and Fulani ethnic groups), over plans to introduce Sharia law. The 2000 clashes led to ethnic and religious polarization and segregation in Kaduna, and tensions remained high between Igbo (and other Christian groups) and Hausa / [Fulani(/#actor/607), with sporadic clashes taking place. Some Christian groups have also called for the creation of a separate state in southern Kaduna, which would be dominated by Christians and thus protect them from marginalization.
Clashes between Hausa and Igbo have often started as disputes over religious issues which have then escalated into violence, fuelled by political and economic grievances and security concerns. Analysts have pointed out that despite being fought along ethnic and religious lines, such clashes have been caused by unresolved grievances and political opportunism rather than religion or ethnicity. Non-state violence between Hausa and Igbo has also reportedly spread geographically and led to retaliatory clashes in other areas, partly due to the spread of rumors about the other group's motives and fuelled by underlying security concerns. Clashes have thus taken place both in the Muslim-dominated North and in the Igbo-dominated Southeast. Clashes between Hausa and Igbo have generally appeared to be relatively loosely organized, although there is some speculation that a group called the Igbo Peoples Congress, claiming to represent Igbo interests and to support violence if necessary, may have been involved in the 2000 Igbo-Hausa/Fulani clashes.
The non-state conflict between Hausa and Igbo is first included in UCDP data in 2000. In February that year, at least 400 people were killed in the city of Karduna, Nigeria.
