Description
In intergroup conflicts, the line between intention and perception is often blurred, and it is perception that tends to prevail. This paper examines farmer-herder clashes in Benue State, Nigeria, where farm encroachment is frequently cited as the leading trigger of violence. Rethinking how we understand conflict triggers in international studies, this study centers the role of narrative, perception, and subjective experience rather than objective material causes. Farmers often view these incursions as deliberate acts of aggression by herders, while herders describe them as unintentional and caused by cattle straying beyond their control. Yet, regardless of motive, damage to farmland consistently leads to cycles of reprisals, displacement, and destruction. Drawing on 69 in-depth interviews with farmers, herders, and interveners, this study argues that perceptions of threat and malice are more powerful than intent. These perceptions are embedded in historical grievances, ethnic mistrust, and narratives of marginalisation which create fertile ground for conflict escalation. The paper contributes to understanding how perceptions determine violence escalation in multiethnic and plural societies. It advances debates in peace and conflict studies by highlighting the limits of linear conflict resolution approaches in contexts where intent is unclear and contested, and where perception itself becomes a justification for physical, political and psychological attacks.
