Nigeria, May 19 -- Over the past decade, conflict between communities has claimed countless lives in Nigeria's Middle Belt region and displaced millions. Similar clashes are happening in states like Plateau and other communities across the Sahel region. The underlying causes of conflict in these communities are complex and varied. However, multiple layers of contestation primarily drive the conflict. The first relates to ethnic and religious identities.

The second is linked to tensions arising from claims of ownership, annexation, and land use. Farmers fear that herders will take over their land, while herders agitate about their entitlement to land ownership and insist on occupation to protect their livelihood. The third is the issue of...