Groundwater Management in the Horn of Africa : Conflict, Scarcity, and Hybrid Governance (English)

In the borderlands of the Horn of Africa, climate variability and population growth are leading to the increasing scarcity of resources, including pasture and water. This pattern is intensifying vulnerability and fueling local conflict, which is being exacerbated by weak governance and political marginalization. Pastoralist livelihoods are highly vulnerable to climate variation, and this can be a driver of conflict when shared resources become limited or contested. Increasing droughts, linked to climate change, are forcing pastoralist groups to share dwindling water resources more frequently, sometimes causing conflicts. During droughts, competition for water escalates as large numbers of livestock congregate around water sources. This leads to overcrowding and can result in tensions between herders, settled communities and other users. However, conflict between pastoralist groups does not only occur at times of drought. Even during the rainy season, future uncertainty surrounding water and pasture access can drive opportunistic occupation of land and water resources, resulting in competition and on occasion violent conflict.