Sub-Saharan Africa

January 2002. About 40 people are killed and 60 wounded in inter-clan fighting in the Mudug region of central Somalia. The violence is sparked by revenge killings over the deaths of eight fisherman, but a local elder, Muhammad Salad Du’ale, attributes the ongoing violence to the scarcity of water and grazing.

Two days of heavy fighting in Mudug region of Somalia leave at least 43 people dead and over 90 injured. The fighting breaks out between the Sa’ad, Habar Gedir subclan and the Dir, and is concentrated in and around the villages of Towfiq and Awle, some 200 km east of Galkayo. As with the 2002 events, the clashes are triggered by revenge killings but the ensuing escalation of violence is also attributed to disagreements over water and grazing in the…

Students protest against poor conditions at Mombasa Polytechnic University in Kenya, including lack of water supply and proper sanitation. The protest leads to riots and police intervene.

Boran militia attack Gabra village near the Ethiopian border. The attack is linked to long-running disputes over land and water.

Riots occur at the main prison in Abidjan over a water shortage.

Members of the Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee blockade a road in their city in protest of the installation of pre-paid water meters in their homes. Police use stun-guns to disperse them.