Agro-pastoral tensions

West Africa is a “zone of instability” in particular because of long-running tension between sedentary farmers and nomadic communities. These two groups have for a long time co-existed in a complementary way, sharing the same ecological niche and common pool resources. This relationship is now weakened by competition and conflict. This is a result of several factors, which include changing demographic, social, political, and environmental conditions. The tension threatens peace and regional security. The formal mechanisms of conflict resolution have thus far not succeeded. A number of factors (the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, poor regulatory mechanism for arms and ammunitions, upward trends in population density) will continue to heighten agro-pastoral tensions and other forms of conflict in the region and beyond.