SUMMARY

The Karamoja region of Uganda is 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 draughts. On the other side of the border lies the Rift Valley Province of Kenya, one of the most densely populated regions in the country and home to a variety of ethnic tribes regrouped by the English colonizers under the name of Kalenjin. 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 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. A further characteristic of the conflicts in the area is the cross country 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 Karimojong and the Pokot was characterized by vicious circles 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 Karimojong and the Pokot is first included in UCDP data in 1998. In April of that year fighting between the two groups led to 38 battle-related deaths.