The Dahalo of Madagascar and Cattle Rustlers in the Lake Chad Basin, a Shared Threat Beyond Borders

By: Zagazola Makama

In the heart of Africa and the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar, two seemingly distant threats share a dangerous commonality: the Dahalo and cattle rustlers. Though they exist in different geographical, cultural, and political contexts, both groups have metamorphosed from traditional raiders into well-armed, highly networked criminal enterprises with disturbing implications for regional security, economic stability, and global illicit trade.

Traditionally, the Dahalo of Madagascar were young men proving their bravery through cattle theft and culturally accepted rite of passage. But over the years, this practice evolved into a violent criminal operation, particularly in Madagascar’s southern “red zones.” Today, Dahalo fighters move in formations reminiscent of guerrilla units, carrying Kalashnikovs and MAS-36 rifles, burning villages, and executing raids with deadly precision.

A similar transformation has occurred across the Lake Chad Basin (LCB) and the broader Sahel. What was once a pastoralist ritual for dowry or status has devolved into rampant cattle rustling, marked by commercial motivations and military-grade violence. Armed groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP have co-opted cattle theft as a tool of economic warfare and insurgency financing, altering the dynamics of regional insecurity.

In both regions, the actors are heavily armed and exploit ungoverned spaces for strategic advantage. Madagascar’s Dahalo exploit remote territories with minimal government presence, particularly in the Great South, operating freely in zones that mirror guerrilla warfare conditions.

In the Sahel and Lake Chad region, cattle rustlers and terror groups capitalize on Nigeria’s marshlands of Lake Chad, and the mountainous border regions of Niger and Mali. Here, they evade security forces, engage in cross-border raids, and impose illegal taxes on livestock traders and herders.

A critical yet underreported dimension is the emergence of transnational livestock trafficking networks, often referred to as the “meat mafia.” In both Madagascar and West Africa, stolen cattle are laundered through intermediaries – including corrupt officials, market traders, transporters, and butchers blending seamlessly with legally acquired livestock in regional markets.

In Nigeria, Africa’s largest cattle market, rustled herds are sold openly. Sophisticated tactics like “cattle round-tripping” moving animals across porous borders to obscure their origins have are now common. In Burkina Faso, jihadist groups such as JNIM and Ansarul Islam have even developed “commercial partnerships” with these networks, earning millions in monthly revenues to sustain their insurgencies.

Madagascar mirrors this structure. Government reports have exposed collusion between national leaders, police officers, and judges in facilitating Dahalo operations. Special advisers have described entire “cattle mafias” laundering thousands of heads of zebu (a prized local breed), with links to export markets in China and Arab states.

Another chilling layer to this network is the leather trade. While concrete evidence linking fashion brands to leather sourced from stolen livestock remains elusive, the risk is real. In Nigeria alone, animal skin exports generate more than $800 million annually. With no comprehensive system to trace the origin of hides, it’s highly plausible that stolen cattle contribute to global leather supply chains.

The fashion industry, known for its opaque supply networks, often sources leather through tanneries in high-risk regions. This opens a channel for conflict leather to flow unnoticed into international markets. Inaction or failure to investigate supply origins could render global brands complicit – knowingly or not – in fueling banditry and terror finance.

The terror-crime nexus in the LCB and Sahel is undeniable. Groups like Boko Haram use cattle rustling not just to fund operations but to dominate rural economies. They impose taxes on herders, abduct livestock owners for ransom, and terrorize communities into submission. These tactics serve both economic and psychological warfare, entrenching their control and weakening state legitimacy.

While the Dahalo are less ideologically motivated, their methods mimic insurgent governance: hostage-taking, village destruction, and an ability to operate with impunity. Madagascar’s internal security challenges mirror the complexity of northern Nigeria and the tri-border Sahel.

What Next? Toward a Multisectoral Response

The threat posed by these groups transcends cattle rustling. It reflects broader failures in governance, law enforcement, and border security. Left unchecked, they undermine fragile economies, deepen food insecurity, and blur the lines between criminal enterprise and armed conflict.

Addressing this challenge demands a multisectoral strategy: Strengthen border surveillance and regional intelligence-sharing.Regulate and digitize livestock movement through traceable means (e.g., tagging, blockchain). Crack down on collusion within security forces and public institutions.
Enforce due diligence in the leather and meat industries to prevent laundering of stolen goods.
Provide pastoral communities with economic alternatives and local protection mechanisms.

Conclusion

From the red plains of Madagascar to the dry frontiers of the Sahel, a dark economy thrives on the backs of stolen cattle. Whether driven by profit, ritual, or insurgency, the actors involved share more than just tactics. they exploit the same gaps in governance, the same desperation of vulnerable communities, and the same blind spots in international oversight.

The world may view cattle rustling as a relic of the past, but in reality, it is a sophisticated and deadly enterprise one that demands urgent attention from African states, global industry, and international partners alike.

Zagazola Makama is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad Region

The Dahalo of Madagascar and Cattle Rustlers in the Lake Chad Basin, a Shared Threat Beyond Borders

My Binoculars: A tribute to the late Comrade Dauda Haruna, former chair of the correspondents chapel Borno state and Correspondent of the Voice of America (VOA) Hausa service

By: Bodunrin Kayode

I have heard two sudden deaths from protracted illnesses in less than two weeks today. They were both close to me which is why I grabbed my binoculars at least for my former chair Dauda Haruna whom most of my colleagues do not know I had known for a very long time before coming to Maiduguri.

I first came across Comrade Dauda Haruna through the internal radio service of the Daily Times newspaper in 1996. We got talking when I was transferred from the jalingo office to Jos to relieve Chuks Akaeme our senior correspondent who was proceeding on his annual leave. I was the closest relief hand asked to cover Plateau for three months. I arrived Jos from the Taraba office in January ’96 and met an elderly female radio operator who worked with my colleague Oga Chuks. Under normal circumstances, the radio operator should read my reports through the radio to our head office agidingbi near Alausa Lagos. But any time madam Bridget was not around, I do rush to the radio room and call Alpha Golf (Agidingbi )myself to send breaking stories especially when the fax was down. Because there was no radio relief hand and it was during the military regime of Mohammed Mana with lots of reports from his spokes man Mike Omeri, I had to learn to work alone.

First time meeting on radio

Dauda was the the first to reach out to me because everyone heard every other person who was sending his report using codes or Charlie Oscar, Delta, Eco. Dauda Haruna was skilled in his tuff then and he delivered our reports well. That day he asked for his colleague madam Bridget and I said she had traveled to enjoy her holiday. This is Dauda Haruna the radio operator in Borno state. Nice meeting you here. My boss Mallam Jirigi speaks well of you. Thanks I retorted. He is a very good friend. We used to meet at annual editorial conferences in Lagos before it was shifted to kaduna where we met under the supervision of Oga Kangiwa and Dr Farouk Umar who manned the entire north. He sounded warm on the radio. I promised checking on him anytime I was in Maiduguri for any program as it was my professional exposure target to know all the states of the north whether or not my employees posted me there.

The opportunity came and it was when Ibrahim Jirigi had a dastardly car crash which broke his leg. So for me, as a good colleague, I had to create time to go see him that year. On arriving safely in Maiduguri for the first time, I met Haruna Dauda in the house of Mallam Jirigi. After commiserating with Jirigi whose leg was in plaster of paris, in came some top VIPs so I pulled out to chat with Dauda Haruna at close range at the other side of Jirigi’s massive house. He was the organizer of the entire house then making Jirigi’s visitors feel at home. There was no GSM then but we knew each other’s line from the daily times directory. He took me to my hotel afterwards and I left the following day.

From then on we had intermittent calls through the telephone and sometimes if Lagos became incommunicado I radio send my reports to him and he will keep vigil until the coast was clear and send same to Lagos. By the time the papers arrived Jos or Makurdi the following day, my stories were inside. We who were reporters then used to have reliable radio operators whom we called reliables. And Dauda Haruna was definitely one of them. Very dedicated to his job. We worked as a family and if you made certain mistakes in your reports, they will help you amend it like a family.

Transition to international radio

So you can imagine my joy when I later realized that he had gone to mass communication school, broadening his skills and had chosen the voice of America Hausa service which was a similar one to that of his boss Jirigi who was making waves in the BBC Hausa service. I started listening to him not knowing that I would one day be routed to Maiduguri to work with my friend and helper. He would tell me later that he owed a lot to Mallam Jirigi who was his main motivator to join the hausa radio service. A lot of dangerous politics affected the daily times and the paper had to shut down due to mismanagement.

I applied to “the Nation” newspaper for a job and even before completion of the interview process with human resources, the news editor Oga Niyi had directed that there was no option for me but Maiduguri. I was not too happy because of the headlines of insurgency I was reading before arriving. But on arrival, I have had a smooth stay courtesy of chairmen like Comrade Dauda Haruna. I have come to accept that the Maiduguri I visited when himself and Jirigi were managing daily times office was quite different from the Maiduguri of January 2014. I came in joined the chapel and we became colleagues till Sunday that he breathed his last. His humility was one of a kind from the way he spoke to me but I had to remind him that we are now colleagues in the same chapel and that we should continue that way. He accepted and life went on as friends.

Enjoying his tenure as chairman Dauda Haruna of the correspondents chapel

Comrade Dauda was actually a man of few words because he was always looking out for the good in others. He was not a deliberate “fault finder” and never a “control freak” which is why some colleagues thought he was weak especially when he literally refuses to kill a fly with a sledge hammer when the circumstances cropped up. In a controversial chapel like that of the correspondents, where unity is not absolute due to vested interests, he was quite transparent and made sure that he united the chapel each time there was a congress. For some reasons, he understood “straight jacket” people like us and will always hint me of why certain decisions were taken even when i felt otherwise. As for favors, I actually thank God that the entire chapel was favored by way of welfare during his time. The entire reason for the existence of the NUJ is for the upholding of professionalism and welfare of colleagues and he navigated through that with ease.

The last day of seeing him in his lifetime was recently when I took a friend and drove to his residence in 1000 housing estate. We bought a pack of moringa tea and presented as a gift to him. To spice the visit I called for hot water and a tea cup to wash the tea in his presence. The wife brought a big flask with which we poured water into his cup and ours. He asked if I wanted sweetener but I said no I was fine. I had learnt to drink all my teas blank sometimes without cream having contacted diabetes too in 2014. So we were watching each other’s back as time went on.

He had a nice tenure as chair of the chapel and in conjunction with his colleagues in the executive, they actually took some indelible decisions that most of us will never forget. That was why we protected his interest when certain forces dared to go against the norm. He called me that day to thank me for my little role in the stabilization of the chapel. He longed to return to do what he loved best and was almost sobbing in the phone. He then admonished me to take care of myself and hung off. As Comrade Dauda Haruna returns to mother earth, may God grant the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the family the special grace to accept this big void that his demise would create for them. Amen.

My Binoculars: A tribute to the late Comrade Dauda Haruna, former chair of the correspondents chapel Borno state and Correspondent of the Voice of America (VOA) Hausa service

Zulum Expresses Gratitude for Successful Statewide Day of Prayer and Fasting

By: Bodunrin Kayode

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum has expressed gratitude to the citizens of the state for their overwhelming response to his call for a one-day voluntary fast and prayers for peace and security.

In a statewide broadcast on Saturday, Zulum urged residents to join him in observing a day of prayer and fasting on Monday, seeking divine intervention for sustained peace in Borno State, the North-East region, and Nigeria as a whole.

The governor, who is currently on a resilience tour to some of the hard-to-reach local government areas, conveyed his appreciation through his spokesperson, Malam Dauda Iliya.

“From the reports I have received, the response to our call for a day of prayer and fasting yesterday (Monday) has been highly impressive, with participation from both Muslim and Christian faithful,” the Governor stated.

“Indeed, this kind of solidarity continues to motivate and strengthen my resolve to pursue lasting peace, security, and a resilient society in our post-conflict recovery efforts,” he added.

Governor Zulum also extended his appreciation to Islamic scholars and Christian clerics, under the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), for leading their congregations in special prayer sessions.

Zulum had during the broadcast called on all residents of Borno State to unite in a collective act of faith and solidarity. “This Monday, I am inviting you to join me in a voluntary day of fasting and prayer for peace to reign in Borno state, Northeast Nigeria and indeed the entire country. Let us come together to seek divine guidance, healing, and peace for our state,” he asked.

“Fasting is more than a personal spiritual act; it is a communal expression of our shared hope. Through prayer and reflection, we can strengthen our unity, renew our resilience, and restore our collective purpose'”.

“I encourage each of you to participate fully in this day of fasting. Let us pray for the safety of our families, the progress of our communities, and the lasting peace in our state and the country at large,” he concluded.

Zulum Expresses Gratitude for Successful Statewide Day of Prayer and Fasting