SUMMARY
The conflict between the Nyangatom and Toposa on the one hand and the Turkana on the other was played out in the Lower Omo Valley and more specifically in the adjacent so-called Ilemi Triangle, a 10 000 to 14 000 square kilometer area that is claimed by Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan alike. The dry, semi-desert region is home to a large number of agro-pastoralist groups, between which relations are very fluid. While some groups are seen as “eternal enemies”, with whom a group is in a constant state of conflict, there are other groups that can serve as allies of convenience from time to time, but that can change just as swiftly back into being enemies. However, there are also instances of long-standing alliances, as in the case of the Nyangatom and Toposa.
The Nyangatom and Toposa and Turkana are neighboring peoples, albeit they mainly reside in three different states: the Nyangatom in South Omo zone in Ethiopia, the Toposa in Eastern Equatoria state in Sudan and the Turkana in Turkana district of Rift Valley province in Kenya. However, since the groups are pastoralists and move with their herds according to season, they come into contact in their border area, most commonly in the Ilemi Triangle.
One of the most common causes of conflict between the groups is access to natural resources, particularly water and grazing. As pressure on these resources has increased, underlying tensions between the Nyangatom and Toposa on the one hand and the Turkana on the other, based on a conflictual past, have been exacerbated, with intermittent fighting as a result. Subsequently, a distinct pattern in Nyangatom, Toposa – Turkana relations is that the level of violence tends to increase in the wake of droughts. This was for instance seen in early 2006, when the Turkana moved into Lokamarinyang, an area that is usually uninhabited. Due to a severe drought in the region they were forced to make this move, being in dire need of fresh pasture and water. This promptly led the Nyangatom and Toposa to launch attacks.
Apart from access to pasture and water, another major cause of deadly conflict between the groups is the practice of cattle raiding, found in the area for centuries. Raiding neighboring groups has been, and continues to be, a way to replenish herds in the wake of disease or drought. Once a raid is carried out and cattle driven away, this creates a vicious circle of counter-raids that many times lead to substantial violence. With the introduction of automatic weapons in the region this oftentimes turns lethal. Yet another reason for fighting between the Nyangatom and Toposa on the one hand and the Turkana on the other is the tradition that young men of the groups constitute their respective village’s fighting force. After being initiated they are responsible for protecting both the tribe and the cattle and there are many instances of a spiral of violence starting up as a result of young men wanting to show their bravery, either by raiding cattle or by killing a person of the opposing group.
As with most other conflicts in the region, fighting is intermittent and occurs in short bursts. Commonly, a period of relative calm may be punctuated by small episodes of cattle raiding, which in some instances triggers a more forceful response by one of the parties, whereby overall violence escalates. In many instances there is no such escalation, however, but fighting continues on a low-scale or peters out. The difference between these two scenarios is generally what determines whether the Nyangatom, Toposa – Turkana conflict is recorded as active (at least 25 battle-related deaths) or not in a year. It should be noted that while there are many instances of the Nyangatom and the Toposa fighting together, there are also many where they fight the Turkana separately. These are recorded as separate conflicts in UCDP data (for more information, see the Nyangatom – Turkana conflict, and the Toposa – Turkana conflict).
The type of violence carried out in the conflict varies widely, ranging from violent cattle raids that turn into large battles, to attacks on villages where the target is women and children. It is also common with individual killings of a person of the opposing group, which leads to a spiral of tit-for-tat killings. It is held by elders in the region that the nature of the violence has changed over the past 20 years, as the rules that used to govern raiding and fighting have loosened. According to these sources, this has resulted in more random violence, which is exemplified by the targeting of women and children, which was very uncommon in the past.
The non-state conflict between the Nyangatom and Toposa on the one hand and the Turkana on the other is first included in UCDP data in 2006. In January of that year the Nyangatom and Toposa attacked a newly established Turkanavillage, and in ensuing fighting resulted in more than 50 battle-related deaths.
