SUMMARY
A major cause of non-state conflicts in Nigeria has been the opposing interests of farmers and herders. The different means of earning an income in turn require quite different usage of land. The typical issue that has on several occasions erupted into conflict has been the destruction of crops by grazing cattle. These conflicts have been numerous, and some of them have even passed the threshold of 25 battle-related deaths and hence been included in the UCDP data. It should be noticed that these groups are not solely defined by the source of income; they are also, as many Nigerians, defined by their ethnicity and/or their faith. Subsequently clashes between herders and farmers can be described in a variety of ways depending on the context and reporting.
The other dyads that belong to the same herders – farmers cluster of non-state conflicts are; Fulani – Yugur and Fulani – Wurukum.
The non-state conflict between Afor and Fulani has its origin in an issue that has been pertinent both historically, but also today; grazing rights for the Fulanis' cattle. More precisely, it concerns how the land should be distributed between the Fulani herdsmen and the Afor farmers.
The specific occurrence that triggered the incidents of violence in this particular conflict was when Fulani herdsmen let their cattle graze on a rice field belonging to Afor farmers. This resulted in the destruction of the crops, and when the farmer voiced his discontent he was beaten to death.
Following this skirmish there was a period of two weeks without any violence, but this changed when the nomadic herdsmen returned to the village and clashed once again with the farmers. The clash that took place in Nassrawa state, resulted in the majority of fatalities in this conflict. It was described by media as Fulani herdsmen attacking the village where the previous disturbances had taken place. A number of houses were burnt, farms were destroyed and some 30 people killed.
The Afor - Fulani 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 non-state conflict between Afor and Fulani is first included in UCDP data in 2009. In December of that year retaliatory violence between the two groups resulted in over 25 battle-related deaths.
