The impact of conflict on pastoral economies in eastern Africa

Conflict has devastated the people and the environment in the arid and semi-arid lands of eastern Africa. Pastoral and semi-pastoral communities in the region will struggle to develop until policymakers understand and manage these conflicts.

A report published by Practical Action in the UK uses datafrom ten districts in Kenya and one district in Uganda to assess regionalconflicts. The researchers examine the impact of conflict on people and theirlivestock, the delivery of social services, agricultural production, trade andinvestment. The authors also examine the link between conflict and HIV and AIDS.

In the districts studied, conflicts range from clashes betweendifferent ethnic groups to organised banditry and political violence. Thiscreates insecurity, which halts the socio-economic development of pastoral andsemi-pastoral communities, who are already neglected by many developmentprogrammes.

Most conflicts are caused by competition over access to, andcontrol of, scarce natural resources, including water and pasture. Over theyears, drought and reduced water access have intensified these conflicts. Thishas led to incidents of herders invading private farmland, for example in theTrans Nzoia and Tana River districts of Kenya.

Conflict has had significant impacts. In the last decade:

• over 3,000 deaths from conflict were reported,and over 200,000 people have been displaced
• half a million cattle have been stolen: this hasnegatively affected trade and commerce, particularly for small farmers
• social services have been disrupted: 94 schoolswere closed at different times, as were many health facilities
• the prestige and security attached to guns hasled to an increase in the number of small arms: the study estimated over 200,000illegal firearms in the sample districts
• farmers have left theirland, resulting in lost cereal production of over 16,000 tonnes: in Tana Riverdistrict, over 70 percent of households experienced food shortages.

The conflict has also caused an increase in the rates of HIVand AIDS. Displaced people are often forced into risky sexual behaviour tosurvive, and the disruption of social services has reduced the effect ofcampaigns to raise awareness of the causes of the virus. Rape also occursfrequently during conflict.

The authors make the following recommendations:

• Policymakers should try to understand the causesof the conflicts and invite the communities involved to join peace-buildingefforts
• Policies must address historical land injusticesand the long-standing neglect of pastoral communities through developmentprogrammes.
• Governments need to design and implementpolicies for conflict management and peace-building, including alternative waysto resolve disputes and improve gender and age relations.
• Illegal arms must be taken out of communities,through a long-term confidence-building exercise.
• Services need improving, particularly services todiversify livelihoods, which will reduce pressure on resources.
• Activities to build peace between communities shouldtake place that recognise and strengthen traditional conflict resolutionmechanisms.
• Pastoral and semi-pastoral communities, using theircommunity organisations, should lobby their governments to provide them withthe security they are guaranteed by law.