what we know about the attacks that hit the center and north-west of the country

Attacks have increased in recent weeks in central and northeastern Nigeria. Several dozen people have been killed, kidnapped or are missing. Insecurity is recurrent, but it seems to be intensifying. More than 3,000 people have been killed and at least 1,500 others kidnapped since the start of 2022, according to the Nigeria Security Tracker (NST).

What is happening exactly?

Two deadly attacks took place in less than 15 days. On April 6, raids on five villages in central Nigeria left more than 100 dead and nearly 5,000 displaced. They follow an attack at the end of March against a train in the state of Kaduna in the north of the country. Eight travelers were killed and several others kidnapped. The attackers, who used explosive devices, released several videos of their hostages hiding in a forest area. If these methods are strongly reminiscent of those of the jihadist groups which are rampant in particular in the northeast, there have been no claims to date. Local authorities denounce the infiltration of Islamists and their collaboration with criminal gangs.

In what context ?

For the past ten years, criminal groups called “bandits” by power attack villages, steal cattle, and kidnap men, women and children for ransom. This violence takes place mainly in the center and north-west of the country. It was in the rural northern region that the first tensions arose between herders and farmers over water and land. With climate change, conflicts have multiplied between the different communities (Fulani and Hausa) who have resorted to armed groups to ensure their protection. The situation has become more complicated over the years and the conflicts now involve a multitude of armed organizations including groups allied to herders, vigilante committees, criminal gangs and jihadists, as a study by the think tank explains. International Crisis group.

How to end it?

Nigeria, which has a population of more than 210 million, faces multiple conflicts and security problems that are accumulating and becoming more difficult to resolve. The intervention of the army on the ground is not enough, on its own, to put a lasting end to the violence. These are often one-off operations that allow the neutralization of “bandits” and the release of hostages.

The International Crisis group recalls in a report (link in English) the importance of a social approach allowing the modernization of the livestock sector to resolve the conflict between herders and farmers which is at the origin of the violence. He also calls for better regional intelligence cooperation to curb any support for jihadist groups and increased international aid to meet humanitarian needs.