Global Dispatches -- Conversations On Foreign Policy And World Affairs

The farmer-herder conflict in Nigeria is a long-running and deadly struggle over land and resources, primarily between nomadic herders—mostly from the Fulani ethnic group—and settled farming communities. Driven by factors such as desertification, population growth, and shrinking grazing land, herders increasingly move south in search of pasture, leading to violent clashes with farmers over farmland and water access. The conflict has intensified in recent years, contributing to insecurity and displacement, particularly in Nigeria's Middle Belt region. It was there, in the middle of the night on June 13th, that an unknown group attacked the village of Yelewata. An estimated 200 people were killed, mostly farmers and their families, in what is considered the single deadliest massacre of its kind. The attack sparked a massive public outcry over the government's apparent inability to prevent such violence. Joining me to discuss what is driving this conflict—and why Nigerians are increasingly losing confidence in t