Africa's Violent Trade In Cattle, Guns And Bullets

The circulation of illicit arms has made cattle rustling more violent and harmful. East Africa has lessons to share on prevention, say Duncan E Omondi Gumba and Nelson Alusala of the Institute for Security Studies Africa.

- Duncan E Omondi Gumba and Nelson Alusala

"Cattle rustling is by no means a new problem in Africa. Pastoral communities in East Africa and the Horn of Africa have dealt with it for generations. Cattle rustling or raiding was integrated into cultural norms and accepted as a way to balance community wealth and power. Driven by community need, it was redistributive and reciprocal. Local means of conflict resolution would prevent the escalation of violence, particularly among pastoral communities.

But these dynamics are changing. The circulation of illicit small arms and light weapons has increased across the continent due to endemic armed conflict. This has made the once-customary practice of cattle rustling more violent, and more harmful.

A STEADILY WORSENING PROBLEM ACROSS THE CONTINENT

Since the 1990s, small arms – particularly AK-47 rifles – have become weapons of choice for cattle rustlers, replacing traditional and less deadly weapons. Cattle rustling has changed in other ways too. It has taken on a more commercial and political character, and with this, an increasingly transnational criminality.