SUMMARY
The southern region of Nigeria, and especially the delta area, is where the crude oil that constitutes a substantial amount of the Nigerian revenues is located. The fact that the oil and the subsequent incomes that can be extracted from it are concentrated in this area has led to several violent episodes between ethnic groups contesting the ownership of land in and around the oil-rich delta area. The issue was further complicated since the inception of the civilian government in 1999. This led to several new actors and possibilities of organizing in order to enhance their political power. The fragile political system with weak institutions and a high level of corruption created a situation where political power became the easiest means of capital accumulation. Given these conditions, several groups mobilized and formed interest groups speaking on behalf of the ethnic group. This polarized the already fragile relations in the southern parts of Nigeria and led to a situation where contested ownership of land, taxation of land, or even number of employees at the oil facilities were all potential conflict issues.
The other dyads that belong to the same Southern land ownership cluster of non-state conflicts are; Adoni – Ogoni, Ijaw – Itsekiri, Ijaw – Ilaje, Ogoni – Ndoki, Okrika – Eleme, Okrika – Ogoni, Urhobo, Ijaw – Itsekiri and NDPVF – NDV.
The conflict between Aguleri and Umuleri has its roots as far back as the beginning of the 20th century and is, in essence, a conflict regarding control of the land. The land in question is along their common border, demarcating their traditional homelands. When in 1995 a petrol station was to be built on that piece of land the two groups could not reach common ground as to which group the land belonged. That was the starting point for the conflict that in a little less than one month in 1999 caused the death of up to one hundred people. The direct cause of the violence was a burial of a prominent Aguleri politician in the contested area. At the service Umuleri youths attacked the procession of mourners, causing panic and bringing the hostilities that had lain dormant for some time up to the resurface once again.
The fighting that followed the burial was intense; one hundred people are said to have died, including three policemen. The fighting subsided during a few months, but flared up once again in July. The total number of fatalities is hard to determine, as different sources cite different numbers. The majority of figures put the death toll at more than 300. In addition, thousands fled their homes to avoid the worst fighting. The fighting was spontaneous and the groups loosely organized. The weapons used in the conflict were mainly machetes, muzzle loading guns, and industrial explosives. After the April fighting there has not been any large scale violence reported between the two groups.
The Aguleri - Umuleri conflict must also be viewed in the broader spectrum of the ethnic and religious non-state conflicts that have ravaged Nigeria in the past and intensified with the end of military rule, from 1999 and onwards. The conflicts throughout Nigeria have ethnic, political, economic, and religious components, which have become inextricably linked over time, pitting various groups and alliances of groups against each other along different dividing lines.
The conflict was mainly fought in Anambra state, in the vicinity of the disputed border area between the two groups. A substantial amount of the fighting was recorded in the main town in the region, Aguleri town. There were also reports of fighting in the nearby village of Otuocha.
The non-state conflict between Aguleri and Umuleri is first included in UCDP data in 1999. In April of that year clashes between the two groups resulted in over 25 battle-related deaths.
