Vol. 6 · No. 1 · 2002

Mark Moritz, Paul Scholte and Saïdou Kari

Download full article [subscribers only]

The discussion concerning the access nomadic pastoralists have to rangelands in West Africa has focused primarily on their complementary relations with agricultural populations (Breusers et al.1998; Driel 1999). Descriptions of these relations have emphasised the symbiosis in which both parties benefited, differentiating little between villagers and their chiefs. The last decade, however, has witnessed increasing competition over natural resources (i.e. rangelands) and a growing number of conflicts between nomadic pastoralists and agricultural populations in West Africa (Bassett 1994; Breusers et al.. 1998; Frantz 1975; Gefu 1992). These conflicts seem to have become more violent, frequently ending with killings (Driel 1999; Juul 1993; Marty 1993; Waldie 1990), although Hussein et al. (2000) warned against excessive generalisation, given the poor historic record of conflicts.