Twenty-seven incidents of clashes between farmers and herders were documented in Katsina and Zamfara, according to a recent report.

In the month of June 2026, a total of 27 conflict and livestock movement alerts were documented across seven frontline local government areas in Katsina and Zamfara states. These alerts were predominantly related to potential clashes between farmers and herders, with community informants warning that late herd movements could escalate into full-blown conflicts.

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The Transhumance Tracking Tool Dashboard 25, an early warning report by the International Organisation for Migration’s Displacement Tracking Matrix, contains these figures, highlighting the ongoing farmer-herder crisis in the North-West. The IOM deployed the Transhumance Tracking Tool to monitor transhumance movements and support peaceful coexistence between herders and farmers in the two states.

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The tool relies on real-time reports from key informants, including Community Peace Committees and local government-based teams, to flag potential conflicts or livestock movements that could trigger clashes. According to the dashboard, 27 alerts were logged in June, comprising 21 event alerts and six movement alerts, primarily in Batsari, Dan Musa, Jibia, Faskari, and Safana LGAs of Katsina, and Bungudu and Gusau LGAs of Zamfara.

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Events accounted for 78 per cent of all alerts, while sudden livestock movements accounted for 22 per cent, with Gusau Local Government recording the highest share of alerts at 26 per cent. Bungudu followed with 22 per cent, and Batsari and Dan Musa each accounted for 11 per cent of the alerts.

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Gada/Karakai Ward in Bungudu Local Government Area was the worst-hit location, with six event alerts, the highest of any ward covered by the tool. This highlights the severity of the conflict in this particular area, with potential for further escalation.

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Regarding livestock movements, all six reported movement alerts in June involved animals arriving late, with 957 cattle moving across states in Nigeria and into neighbouring regions of the Niger Republic. Every key informant who filed a movement report indicated that it was likely to result in agro-pastoral conflict.

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Moreover, 17 per cent of the informants also flagged the risk of inter-community tensions, with 67 per cent describing the risk as “likely” and 33 per cent as “very likely”. This underscores the complexity and potential consequences of these livestock movements.

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Of the 21 events logged, 71 per cent were agro-pastoral conflicts, 24 per cent were intra-community tensions, and five per cent were other incidents, such as cattle rustling. The report identified farm or crop destruction and the early or late passage of herds as the biggest triggers of farmer-herder conflicts, each responsible for 40 per cent of cases.

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Farmland encroachment and damage to surrounding fields accounted for 27 per cent, and herders bypassing officially designated transhumance routes accounted for 20 per cent. Local farmers and breeders were the groups most frequently affected, featuring in 71 per cent of the events.

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Pastoral groups in transhumance followed at 43 per cent, state or national authorities at 10 per cent, and non-state armed groups at five per cent. The human and economic toll was significant, with 10 per cent of reported events resulting in casualties or injuries and 29 per cent leading to the loss or destruction of crops.

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Despite interventions, resolution remained elusive in nearly half of the cases, with community leaders being the most active responders, participating in 73 per cent of conflict management efforts. Local or national authorities followed at 55 per cent, religious leaders at 36 per cent, and humanitarian and pastoral organisations at lower proportions.

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Only 52 per cent of reported events had been fully resolved by the time the report was compiled, leaving 48 per cent of the conflicts unresolved. The IOM noted that local actors responded through awareness campaigns, peace dialogue, and passing information to community leaders and peace committees.

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Interventions, such as sensitising and guiding herders to use different or bypass livestock routes, produced amicable settlements and rerouted herders through bypass cattle tracks in several cases. The TTT is funded by the European Union and implemented alongside the Centre for Democracy and Development and Mercy Corps, in partnership with the Federal Government.

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The IOM has rolled out the TTT as one of several early warning systems in the country’s conflict-prone areas, where competition between herders and farmers over shrinking grazing land and water sources has remained rife. This initiative aims to mitigate the ongoing farmer-herder crisis in the region.