Arms in Nigeria farmer-pastoralist conflict same source as Mali jihadists: report by RFI

A new report out today by Conflict Armament Research group in London traces the sources of illicit small arms used in farmer-pastoralist conflicts in northern Nigeria, specifically in Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna states. In 2018, conflicts between pastoralists and farmers in those areas killed more people than Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa, which the report indicates is the western Sahel's deadliest armed conflict. But where do these arms come from? Some come from stockpiles, from Libya, from foreign wars. RFI's Laura Angela Bagnetto spoke to Mike Lewis, author of the report and head of investigative arms research for the Conflict Armament Research group in London. He speaks of the impact illicit small arms have had on the farmer-pastoralist conflict in northern Nigeria:

Photo: Field-stripped semi-automatic shotgun documented in
Gusau, Zamfara State, Nigeria, on 15 March 2018. (c) Conflict Armament
Research