Following on from last week's blog post, we will now look to examine the implications of water-based conflicts and offer up some of the solutions posed by various academic discourses.
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"They shouted 'Get up!' and because nobody moved they started shooting" (ICRC, 2016). Chilling words from a teenager Mahamdou Ali who recalls his time during a conflict in northeast Nigeria. This is but one account of a multitude of conflicts between Nigeria and Chad on the Lake Chad Basin. The shrinking of the lake has contributed to regional instability within the states in several ways. As the lake has shrunk, the water has shifted up towards Cameroon and Chad, whilst the Nigerian and Nigerien section has dried up (Owonikoko, 2020). This has led to millions of people being displaced and forced to cross national borders to access water. As borders get crossed with no regard, various socio-economic and political issues arise which lead to interstate tension. In the aforementioned blog post, we briefly mentioned the Boko Haram military group, which have capitalised on the loss of livelihoods and economic downfalls of people, to increase their numbers and recruit people (Owonikoko, 2020). Another problem that has arisen is the increased conflict between farmers and pastoralists. With the depletion of natural water resources and grazing lands, there has been an increase in cattle rustling - one of the major criminal activities in the area (Mohanty et al. 2021). Harrowing figures show that over 4,000 people have died in Nigeria between 2016 and 2019 as a result of farmer-pastoralist conflicts (Owonikoko, 2020. Albert (2017) states that the conflicting relationship caused by access to and management of limited water resources in the lake has greatly affected the collective effort of the region's states in battling Boko Haram.
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So what exactly can be done to resolve this crisis?Well, it's simple and not so simple. Such is the answer to so many things these days. The key is to replenish the lake, however, there are various barriers to this such as funding, resistance from campaigners, lack of commitment and cooperation between member states, and the big militant problem. Tackling the militant problem in itself is already a huge task both locally and internationally. There is a need to reach out to these rebel groups, and incite more participatory types of planning and peacebuilding programmes (Mohanty et al. 2021). A major focus should be on empowering the displaced people and refugees into these programmes so that they do not feel the need to join these militant groups. Real-life sustainable solutions to complex challenges need to be implemented and constantly engaged with, which can only be promoted through strong governance and international cooperation. As opposed to radical military intervention and constant humanitarian support, sustainable longer-term practices need to be established to help communities prepare for seasons of reduced water supply. The way in which this can be achieved is through systematic data collection, collation and dissemination (Mohanty et al. 2021). As for recharging the lake stores, although somewhat ambitious, there are plans to create a channel water pipeline from the Ubangi River in the Democratic Republic of Congo that is near 2,400km long (Usigbe, 2019).
It seems so simple - replenish the lake and the region will stabilise. However, it is far from it. What's needed is a combination of replenishment, education about alternative hydrological practices, peacemongering between states, and better cooperation between the river states. The Lake Chad crisis may be the first but most certainly won't be the last major climate-induced water crisis. Only time will tell as to how a water crisis like this will be resolved and should be managed in the future.
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