SUMMARY

The Rift Valley Province is one of the most densely populated regions in Kenya and home to a variety of ethnic tribes. On the other side of the border lies the Karamoja region of Uganda, home to a large number of agro-pastoralist groups often referred to as the Karimojong. The area, which is comprised of predominantly semiarid thorn savannah, is often described as one of the most inhospitable zones in Africa. Rainfall is erratic and the area suffers frequent droughts. In both regions cattle herding has proven to be the most sustainable way of life. As necessary resources such as water and pasture are scarce and the value ascribed to cattle is very high, fierce conflicts and large-scale cattle-raiding is a common phenomenon between the groups in the regions. Tribal alliances are however not rare, especially in periods of drought or when faced with a common enemy.

Tribal clashes can be characterized by a circular pattern since, in order to assure survival, raided tribes must retaliate against other tribes to replenish lost livestock. Another characteristic of conflicts in the area is the cross-border dimension. Indeed, both the Karimojong of Uganda and the Kalenjin of Kenya often venture into the neighboring country in search for cattle to raid. With the availability of modern weapons, the deadliness of the conflicts has increased dramatically over the past decades and local authorities have proven unable to prevent the cattle-raiding-related clashes.

Just like the other conflicts in the region, the conflict between the Jie and the Turkana was characterized by vicious cycles of raids, with the two sides taking turn raiding each other's cattle. Sometimes the attacks were swift with little loss of life, whereas other raids led to long-running battles, leaving many dead.

The non-state conflict between the Jie and the Turkana is first included in UCDP data in 1999. In the beginning of July of that year, fighting between the two groups led to 40 battle-related deaths