Land tenure, land reform and conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa: Towards a research agenda

The report examines how insecure land access and the manipulation of land rights contribute to poverty and violent conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa. It highlights the tension between customary and statutory tenure systems and warns that land is often used as a 'resource of conflict' by elites to consolidate power and enforce ethnic divisions. The authors argue for the importance of local governance and field-based empirical research in developing effective land policies and reconciliation efforts.

• Insecure and limited access to land acts as a structural cause of conflict by contributing to poverty. This insecurity is driven by the alienation of land from customary systems, land concentration by wealthy individuals in countries like Zimbabwe, Angola, and the eastern DRC, and the fragmentation of plots due to population growth in Rwanda and Burundi.
• In certain contexts, such as the eastern DRC, land has evolved from a background cause of conflict into a 'resource of conflict.' Control over land is used by local elites and warlords to reward political loyalty, employ force to defend titles, and mobilize soldiers by controlling the unfree labour of unprotected populations.
• Land is frequently used as a tool for 'ethnic cleansing' and the reconstruction of identity. In Ituri, the permanent displacement of ethnic groups like the Bira may lead to extensive land grabbing and a state of 'enhanced apartheid' where land access is used to enforce social difference.
• There is a significant tension between customary and statutory tenure systems. While customary leadership remains central to local governance, there is a risk of 'romanticism' in assuming these systems are always legitimate, as some chiefs have presided over the alienation of community land.
• Post-conflict environments often trigger land speculation and 'land-grabbing' as previously insecure areas become viable for private development. In Burundi, land prices rose by 50% within months of the peace accord, pushing some people toward marginal lands.
• Current land policy-making in several countries is dominated by elite interests, leading to the consolidation of land by the rich and the displacement of the poor. Even in countries like Rwanda and Angola with professionalized policy papers, there are fears that commercial investment priorities may result in the expropriation of land from local communities.
• The authors identify a critical lack of empirical, field-based information in mainstream academic and policy discourse regarding changing customary practices and local experiences in conflict-affected areas.

APA

HUGGINS, C., & POTTIER, J. (n.d.). Land tenure, land reform and conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa: Towards a research agenda. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CONCLU.PDF

Chicago

HUGGINS, CHRIS, and JOHAN POTTIER. Land tenure, land reform and conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa: Towards a research agenda. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CONCLU.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=HUGGINS |first1=CHRIS |last2=POTTIER |first2=JOHAN |title=Land tenure, land reform and conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa: Towards a research agenda |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CONCLU.PDF |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hugginsndland, author = {HUGGINS, CHRIS and POTTIER, JOHAN}, title = {{Land tenure, land reform and conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa: Towards a research agenda}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/CONCLU.PDF}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }