RESEARCH REPORT LOCKED HORNS - Cattle rustling and Mali’s war economy

The scale of cattle rustling in Mali is the climax of a decade of growth of the practice, and cattle rustling is now a central and under-reported element of the country’s security crisis variously as a driver of conflict, as a governance and intimidation mechanism, and as a key source of revenue for non-state armed groups. [...] EVOLUTION OF CATTLE RUSTLING 9 Cattle rustling contributes to and finances further conflict: 2012–2015 Although the 1990s Tuareg rebellion in northern Mali a key resource in the sale and purchase of weapons for catalyzed the formation of self-defence militias and both the MNLA and the constellation of newly established increased the volume of weapons in circulation, the start violent extremist and. [...] However, it is clear that the livestock trade is a to the identity of the trader and the speed at which the substantial source of revenue for armed groups across the trader wishes to dispose of stock – can reveal the illicit Sahel. [...] period.85 The scale of the trade is significant: between In areas for which data is available for the volume of 2017 and 2021, Ansarul Islam sold 8 million heads of cattle livestock rustled, and where a specific armed group and other livestock, according to a consortium of traders dominates and is therefore the prominent actor in rustling affiliated with the group in Burkina Faso’s Soum and incide. [...] The committee member is hence a crucial person in the chain, and is well remunerated for that role, with up to 20% of the price of a livestock head.117 Once the livestock have been admitted in the pens, intermediaries come into play for the negotiation and the selling of the animals.