Livestock theft is central to jihadist economy in west Africa

Livestock is simply a large root of income successful the Sahel region. Photo: Luis TATO / AFP/File
Source: AFP

Musa was dormant successful the colony of Dusuman successful northeast Nigeria erstwhile helium was awoken by a crisp burst of gunfire and Boko Haram stole his main root of livelihood -- his livestock.

"They came astatine astir 1 successful the greeting and started firing successful the air," said the Fulani herdsman, whose sanction AFP has changed for information reasons.

"My household and I fled into the bush. The jihadists took 36 of my cows and 40 sheep," helium added.

Livestock theft provides Boko Haram with a large root of revenue, arsenic members resell immoderate of the animals astatine section markets to enactment their operations successful the Lake Chad region.

The method of transgression financing is besides utilized by different jihadist groups successful the Sahel region, wherever livestock is simply a coveted resource.

"It's an economy that feeds the conflict," Flore Berger, a researcher with the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), told AFP.

In Burkina Faso, sources successful the Ansarul Islam radical "have declared earning, depending connected the period, betwixt 25 and 30 cardinal CFA francs ($41,100 to $49,400) a period done livestock theft successful the regions wherever they operate", Berger said successful a study.

Nigeria and Mali, which are the starring and second-leading livestock exporters successful the portion ravaged by jihadist violence, are peculiarly affected, she added.

Mali recorded astir 130,000 thefts successful 2021, much than the full combined from the 3 preceding years, according to the authorities successful the Mopti portion of cardinal Mali quoted successful the study.

'Laundered'

"The signifier has been happening for centuries crossed the Sahel," added the study, noting that the thefts were erstwhile "almost cultural" and wide accepted.

But successful the past 15 years, jihadists person got successful connected the enactment and thefts person go convulsive operations successful which livestock farmers person sometimes been kidnapped oregon killed.

Boko Haram and different jihadist groups bargain livestock to money their operations. Photo: Luis TATO / AFP/File
Source: AFP

In Niger past year, "more than 600" animals were stolen by jihadists successful a hamlet successful the Ouallam region, adjacent the Malian border, and an proprietor was killed, a section root told AFP.

In the Lake Chad basin of northeast Nigeria, Boko Haram is the main perpetrator of thefts.

Its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), alternatively prefers to enforce taxes connected section livestock farmers, said Nigerian GI-TOC researcher Kingsley Madueke.

In the cardinal Sahel -- Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso -- the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) dominates the illicit commercialized owed to the immense territory nether its power and its section networks.

Stolen livestock is past sold done well-established channels involving agents, intermediaries, transporters, traders, butchers oregon "corrupt" section officials, Berger said.

"Through these 'commercial partners', the jihadists person entree to quality and prolong themselves successful the forests," said William Assanvo, a researcher from the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies.

Some of the livestock is sold astatine section markets, with the remainder exported.

Stolen animals from Mali, for example, are "laundered" by being mixed with herds of ineligible livestock past sent to countries specified arsenic Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso oregon Niger, Berger said.

'Slow-going'

As such, Madueke said determination was a request to people auxiliary networks.

Tackling the illicit commercialized requires cross-border practice that is lacking successful the Sahel. Photo: Luis TATO / AFP/File
Source: AFP

The cross-border quality of the illicit commercialized besides requires determination practice that is not ever casual fixed the geopolitical concern successful westbound Africa.

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso person each withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc to signifier the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

"We sent astatine slightest 3 letters to the Malian authorities successful 2024, arsenic we recorded an summation successful the influx of livestock from Mali," an Ivorian information root said.

"We request collaboration to artifact the network. For the moment, it's slow-going."

According to the researchers, armies successful the Sahel, bandits, civilian militia and rebel groups successful Mali besides bargain livestock.

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Source: AFP