Nigeria’s conflict zones: why people stay even when they can leave

By Ezenwa E. Olumba, Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow, Aston University

When armed groups attack a community, people often assume that everyone who can escape will leave. This belief influences news stories, public discussions and humanitarian efforts, which usually focus on those who have been forced to move.

However, while I was doing research in north-central Nigeria, also called the Middle Belt, I came across some communities that had the means to flee to safety but decided to remain, even though they faced repeated violent attacks from armed nomadic herders and got little or no help from the government.

I have been studying why people move…

Read complete article

~	Can a newly discovered soil fungus stop the devastating African armyworm when chemicals have failed?

~	Better parenting starts with knowing what works. We tested a project in 8 African countries

~	What vegan and vegetarian diets can and can’t tell us about eating disorders

~	The historic German housewives who laid the groundwork for today’s tradwives

~	Visible mending: why showing off repairs is better than hiding them

~	An abandoned SpaceX rocket is about to crash into the Moon. The real problem comes next

~	The Victorian premier could lose her job just 4 months before a state election. How did it come to this?

~	The Victorian Labor government had many successes. But it has also had its failures – and these have lost the voters

~	Why five-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar stands apart from other cycling greats

~	Teens want more advice about navigating consent but teachers’ sex ed skills are falling short