Herder–farmer conflicts in Nigeria are a series of disputes over arable land resources across Nigeria between mostly Muslim Fulani herders and mostly Christian non-Fulani farmers.
They have been especially prominent in the Middle Belt (North Central) since the return of democracy in 1999. More recently, it has deteriorated into attacks on farmers by Fulani herdsmen and also vice versa.
Attacks have also taken place in northwest Nigeria against farmers who are mainly Hausa.
While the conflict has underlying economic and environmental reasons, it has also acquired religious and ethnic dimensions. Thousands of people have died since these attacks began.
Sedentary farming in rural communities is often the target of attacks because of their vulnerability. There are fears that this conflict will spread to other West African countries but this has often been downplayed by governments in the region. Attacks on herders have also led them to retaliate by attacking other communities.
The conflict has been labeled a genocide of Christians by several Christian and Nigerian sources.
Regional conflicts in Jos and Kaduna
The farmer/herder conflicts have been taking place in regions that have been unstable since the 2000s. Urban conflicts in Jos and Kaduna have been particularly violent and, despite violent clashes with the authorities, their causes have never been addressed politically. Conflicts might not have been addressed adequately because traditional authorities have not been fulfilling their role in colonial-era settlements.
Over time the periodic clashes between herders and farmers in Northern and North-Central Nigeria have precipitated a general climate of insecurity. This widespread insecurity both allows for and is perpetuated by acts of broader criminality, in which gangs of bandits target locations in the area for raids, mass kidnappings, and looting.
