Herders and Farmers: Neighbours in Conflict

In recent decades, deadly conflict between farmers and herders has exploded across West and Central Africa. Rhetoric on both sides of the conflict tends to be one-sided, with each side seeing itself as in the right and unjustly treated by the other side. Sometimes religious ideologies are invoked as an explanation, since herders typically identify as Muslim and some of the farmers involved in the conflict identify as Christian. This video interviews both herders and farmers in the violence-torn Middle Belt of Nigeria, getting on-the-ground perspectives in hopes of helping both sides understand each other, as a prerequisite to the massive task of rebuilding the peace and mutually beneficial relationship they used to have-amidst the complexities and conflict triggers of today’s world.