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"Climate change is worsening violent extremism in Kenya – what can be done"

https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-worsening-violent-extremism-in-kenya-what-can-be-done-279604

I've talked about pastoralist culture a lot in this thread (patriarchy, primitive capitalism and so on).

As the #climate is cooking more and more all the biosphere will suffer (sea life too). But, as with many futures, they're here but not evenly distributed (William Gibson).

These entrepreneurs lose everything and, due to the culture (which is shared with the West and many other parts of the world), they turn violent in a bandit/raider way.

The article is about this, but they frame it as if having such a culture is a rare and precious thing.

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For pastoralists in the north-eastern Kenyan counties of Garissa and Wajir, keeping livestock is not just a job. It is their identity, their food security and their children’s future.

However, as droughts and flash floods become more frequent, herds are being decimated. In times of desperation, al-Shabaab positions itself as a provider.

As one community member told us:

> When the land dries up, animals die, farms fail, and people go hungry, especially the youth, they become desperate. Al-Shabaab knows this and exploits it. They offer food, money, and what seems like ‘purpose’ to young boys who feel abandoned by their own government.

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And what they'll go on to do is to raid agriculturists and become bandits and mercenaries.

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The loss of livestock causes a deep sense of shame among men who can no longer fulfil their role as providers.

...
In a culture where “a man without animals is seen as a child, no matter his age”, as one respondent put it, this loss of status leads to depression and hopelessness.

Extremist groups exploit this emotional emptiness. They offer a sense of status to men who feel they have lost everything else.
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Similar things happened with the #RSF in #Sudan.

And a neat bit they left in, probably by mistake:

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The lack of veterinary services and schooling creates several further vulnerabilities. When children drop out of school to follow herds, they become soft targets for recruiters.
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Something which I mentioned in the past: the pastoralist economy requires child labor and is toxic to the education of children.

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Most importantly, future interventions must look beyond technical solutions to address the emotional weight of lost dignity and the breakdown of social structures. This will foster resilience in the local economy and the community.
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Indeed. They need to be guided out of such culture and business, and into something better. Organically, there are migrations to cities or switches to farming (plants), but that can obviously benefit from more support.

#Kenya #pastoralism #conservatism #fundamentalism #patriarchy #capitalism