Nigeria's pastoralist conflicts face more turbulence
Significance The notice comes amid rising violence between pastoralists and settled non-Fulani, predominantly Christian farming communities in the south-west. As southern politicians grow increasingly vocal about President Muhammadu Buhari’s alleged favouritism towards Fulani pastoralists, the space for compromise is shrinking further. Impacts As climatic pressures and northern insecurity drive herding further south, tensions across southern geopolitical zones will climb further. The shifting southern frontier of pastoralist conflicts will put south-western APC officials in a difficult political bind. The new service chiefs will face political pressure to unveil new strategies in the fight against insecurity in the north-west. As new actors get involved, Abuja’s efforts to mediate pastoralist conflicts will become more visible but also politically complicated.