Climate‐related armed conflict and communities' resistance to Rural Grazing Area settlement policy in Nigeria's Middlebelt

• Published date: 01 December 2023
• Author: John Sunday Ojo
• Date: 01 December 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/crq.21390

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Climate-related armed conflict and

communities' resistance to Rural Grazing Area

settlement policy in Nigeria's Middlebelt

John Sunday Ojo

School of Area Studies, History, Politics

and Literature, University of Portsmouth,

Portsmouth, UK

Correspondence

John Sunday Ojo, School of Area Studies,

History, Politics and Literature,

University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth,

UK.

Email: ojs4scholar@gmail.com

Abstract

In Nigeria, resource contests have sparked unending

ecological conflict. As a result, conflict resolution mea-

sures have been proposed to mitigate climate-related

conflict. However, the acceptance of such policies is

hampered by ethnic suspicions, communities' exclu-

sion, religious sensitivities, and a lack of political will.

State policies are frequently based on centralized

resources, which is exacerbated by the complexities of

power relations between central and sub-national

authorities. Thus, this article examines communities'

resistance to the Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) settle-

ment policy in Nigeria's Middlebelt using Benue state

as a reference point. The study employed a quantitative

method using questionnaires. The study used a sample

size of 385 questionnaires administered in Guma,

Gwer-West, Gwer-East, Ukum, and Logo local govern-

ments in Benue state. Therefore, the article found that

the failure of communities' inclusivity substantially

contributed to the local revolt against the RUGA settle-

ment policy. Specifically, the study's findings demon-

strate that the possibility of losing ancestral lands, the

past experience of the host communities, ethnic and

political factors, and poor policy awareness were the

primary factors that reinforced communities' resistance

Received: 25 May 2022 Revised: 13 April 2023 Accepted: 28 April 2023

DOI: 10.1002/crq.21390

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use,

distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.

© 2023 The Author. Conflict Resolution Quarterly published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Conflict Resolution Quarterly. 2023;41:121–141. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/crq 121

to RUGA policy. Moreover, the government's over-

reliance on an authoritarian mechanism and wrong

policy choices compounded by a non-inclusive

approach contributed to policy failure to gain accept-

ability at the grassroots level in Benue state. As an

intervention, the article recommends democratically

inclusive conflict resolution strategies for climate-

related armed conflict in the region.

1|INTRODUCTION

The impact of climate change on small islands was no less threatening than the

dangers guns posed to large nations—Robert Aisi, Senior Papua New Guinean dip-

lomat (UN Security Council Report, 2021)

If we continue on our current path, we will face the collapse of everything that

gives us our security—food production; access to fresh water; habitable, ambient

temperatures; and ocean food chains.”“Please make no mistake. Climate change is

the biggest threat to security that humans have ever faced”—David Attenborough

(UN Security Council Report, 2021)

The above excerpts demonstrate how climate change has become a “threat multiplier”to secu-

rity (Brown et al., 2007; Buhaug et al., 2008; Mach et al., 2019; Theisen et al., 2013; UN Security

Council, 2021). Observations around the world are providing empirical evidence of increasing

changes in climatic conditions that pose a threat to human livelihoods and global peace

(Gabriel, 2009; IPCC, 2007). The global temperature is rising, and extreme weather events and

ecological changes are being experienced. There has been a decrease in rainfall in some parts of

the world and an increase in rainfall in other regions, which can have a devastating effect on

human lives. Deforestation is getting worse, occurrences of drought, poor water quality, and

crop losses are being experienced while human migration driven by climate change is expected

to increase in the near future (Agnew, 2012; Irwin, 2010; Sinden, 2007; Wood, 2007). Climate

change poses more danger to global security than the ongoing proliferation and contestation

over nuclear weapons among the states (Odoh & Chilaka, 2012). At the 2007 United Nations

Security Council summit, the issue of climate change was first echoed as a threat to interna-

tional peace and security (UN Security Council, 2007).

Climate change poses a potential threat to aggravating the existing security problem world-

wide (UN Security Council, 2021). Besides, there is a possibility that climate change exacerbates

the current level of poverty, conflict, and ethnic distrust between communities and states

(UN General Assembly, 2009). The consequences of climate change have provided an under-

standing of human decision-making processes regarding where to migrate, when, and when to

return (Warner & Van der Geest, 2013). Climate-induced drought is expected to aggravate

socio-economic havoc and the endless migration of pastoralists. Available evidence reveals that

competition and overreliance on natural resources for human survival trigger belligerence

among ethnic groups (Ojo, 2020). This connection has been manifested in Nigeria, where

climate-related migration has promoted armed conflicts among diverse ethnic groups. Some

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