nder the Radar is a weekly special series bringing you compelling, under–the–radar stories from around the world, one region at a time. This week in Sub–Saharan Africa, Nigeria’s escalating farmer–herder conflicts are increasing the country’s food insecurity. Other noteworthy under–the–radar stories from the region include Zimbabwe’s blood transfusion crisis, Niger’s investigation of a Martian meteorite sale, and the World Food Programme’s dire warning about refugees in Kenya.
Nigeria has the highest number of people facing food insecurity globally according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, which found that 30.6 million Nigerians face food insecurity in 2025. In July 2025, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) projected that this number is likely higher during the lean season between June and August. The ICRC is attempting to support Nigerians through an agricultural assistance program in the lean and rainy seasons. But the organization fears these efforts will not be enough as farming in Nigeria comes with a host of challenges, including climate change and escalating conflict.
Many Nigerian farmers engage in subsistence farming, where the crops farmers harvest are exclusively for their survival and that of their families. Often, Nigerians turn to subsistence farming because they don’t make enough money at their regular jobs to reliably feed their families. When not working, they travel to farms—usually several kilometers away—to work for only a few hours in an attempt to get crops to eat. These farmers must farm during the rainy seasons to prepare for the lean season, when they have to rely on purchasing food.
Nigeria’s agriculture industry is also at risk of escalating violence between farmers and herders. As desertification (fertile land becoming infertile) in Nigeria has increased to 43% of the country, herders have been forced to compete with farmers for the remaining fertile land. Nigerian farmers and herders have been in conflict for years, with some religious differences between predominantly Christian farmers and Muslim herders worsening tensions. False information shared on social media is also believed to fuel the conflicts. In 2018, over 1,300 Nigerians died from such conflicts, but the conflict is escalating, with at least 2,600 people killed in 2021. This is evident in 2025, as in April, herders killed 42 farmers. In May, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria claimed that 50,000 herders had been killed in the escalating conflict. And in June, at one farming village, over 160 villagers were killed and crops were destroyed. These conflicts harm Nigeria’s agriculture industry and the country’s national security.
In 2024, Nigeria created the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, partly to address the worsening farmer–herder conflict and to save Nigeria’s agriculture industry.
Here are some other under–the–radar stories from across Sub–Saharan Africa:
- The Community Working Group on Health is calling on Zimbabwe’s government to subsidize blood transfusions, as the National Blood Services of Zimbabwe is accused of collecting blood donations for free and selling them at high cost.
- Niger is investigating the $5 million sale of a Martian meteorite, warning that it seems likely to be “illicit international trafficking.”
- The World Food Programme is warning that due to the U.S.’s cuts to USAID, more than one–third of refugees sheltering in Kenya will not receive any food.
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Nigerian food insecurity increases as conflict escalates
Image courtesy of International Potato Center Sub Saharan Africa via Flickr. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
August 8, 2025
Diplomatic Courier’s Stephanie Gull brings you weekly under–the–radar stories from around the world. This week in Subsaharan Africa: An escalating conflict between Nigeria’s farmers and herders is worsening the country’s already–significant food insecurity problems.
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nder the Radar is a weekly special series bringing you compelling, under–the–radar stories from around the world, one region at a time. This week in Sub–Saharan Africa, Nigeria’s escalating farmer–herder conflicts are increasing the country’s food insecurity. Other noteworthy under–the–radar stories from the region include Zimbabwe’s blood transfusion crisis, Niger’s investigation of a Martian meteorite sale, and the World Food Programme’s dire warning about refugees in Kenya.
Nigeria has the highest number of people facing food insecurity globally according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, which found that 30.6 million Nigerians face food insecurity in 2025. In July 2025, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) projected that this number is likely higher during the lean season between June and August. The ICRC is attempting to support Nigerians through an agricultural assistance program in the lean and rainy seasons. But the organization fears these efforts will not be enough as farming in Nigeria comes with a host of challenges, including climate change and escalating conflict.
Many Nigerian farmers engage in subsistence farming, where the crops farmers harvest are exclusively for their survival and that of their families. Often, Nigerians turn to subsistence farming because they don’t make enough money at their regular jobs to reliably feed their families. When not working, they travel to farms—usually several kilometers away—to work for only a few hours in an attempt to get crops to eat. These farmers must farm during the rainy seasons to prepare for the lean season, when they have to rely on purchasing food.
Nigeria’s agriculture industry is also at risk of escalating violence between farmers and herders. As desertification (fertile land becoming infertile) in Nigeria has increased to 43% of the country, herders have been forced to compete with farmers for the remaining fertile land. Nigerian farmers and herders have been in conflict for years, with some religious differences between predominantly Christian farmers and Muslim herders worsening tensions. False information shared on social media is also believed to fuel the conflicts. In 2018, over 1,300 Nigerians died from such conflicts, but the conflict is escalating, with at least 2,600 people killed in 2021. This is evident in 2025, as in April, herders killed 42 farmers. In May, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria claimed that 50,000 herders had been killed in the escalating conflict. And in June, at one farming village, over 160 villagers were killed and crops were destroyed. These conflicts harm Nigeria’s agriculture industry and the country’s national security.
In 2024, Nigeria created the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, partly to address the worsening farmer–herder conflict and to save Nigeria’s agriculture industry.
Here are some other under–the–radar stories from across Sub–Saharan Africa:
- The Community Working Group on Health is calling on Zimbabwe’s government to subsidize blood transfusions, as the National Blood Services of Zimbabwe is accused of collecting blood donations for free and selling them at high cost.
- Niger is investigating the $5 million sale of a Martian meteorite, warning that it seems likely to be “illicit international trafficking.”
- The World Food Programme is warning that due to the U.S.’s cuts to USAID, more than one–third of refugees sheltering in Kenya will not receive any food.
