Poor military-civilian relationship fuel farmers/herders crisis in North Central – Report

The protracted clashes between farmers and herdsmen especially in the North Central geo-political zone of the country was escalated by the lack of training on communication and relationship with civilian and sister security agencies by the military.

This is contained in a report by the Search For Common Ground (SFCG) titled: “Seeking Security and Stability: An Analysis of Security Responses to Farmer-Herder Conflict in the Middle Belt Region of Nigeria” and co-authored by the SFCG’s Research Fellow, Dr. Chris Kwaja and the Senior Policy and Program Analyst, Mrs. Bukola Ademola-Adelehin.

According to the 25-page report, the tension between farmers and herders has led to significant violence claiming six times more civilian casualties than the Boko Haram insurgency in 2018.

The report said that 1,300 deaths were recorded in the first quarter of 2018 alone, apart from another 300,000 displaced.

It said that while the government deployed the military to stabilize the region and increase security, many civilians do not trust the military, as some military personnel were accused of abusing the rights of locals, including through excessive use of force.

“Despite these tensions, the region has seen low utilization of existing opportunities for improved civil-military relationships, such as engagement of traditional, religious, and civil society organizations to link military actors with communities and build understanding and support for military operations among civilian population.

“Some military members deployed on operations in the Middle Belt lack sufficient training on effective communication with civilians and understanding of the rules that guide their conduct while carrying out operations. This fuels tensions, undermining the ability of the military to carry out their operations and also build relationships with civilians.

“Additionally, differences in orientation, training, and discipline among troops weaken efforts towards inter-agency collaboration, particularly within the military, police, and Department of State Security (DSS).

“The military is increasingly exceeding its original mandate of providing security and crime prevention and is becoming involved in conflict management roles that are typically carried out by the police and other non-state actors, which many military members are not trained for,” the report said.

The report urged the government, the military, and communities to create and support mechanisms to strengthen civilian-military relations in the context of the involvement of the military in internal security operations and security management in the region.

“The military should ensure that all of its personnel involved in special operations are subjected to clear and consistent rules guiding their conduct during operations.

“Sufficient training is provided to all of its personnel; the government and military should ensure that the role of the military during internal security operations is clearly defined and communicated to civilians, particularly those in the communities where such operations are to be undertaken,” it added.