Good thread East African. The problem is made worse by the Warrior Culture of the Turkana in Kenya, and their Cousins in Sudan, the Toposa, Didinga and Dongotana and their other cousins in Uganda, the Karamajong. The warrior culture of fighting and cattle raiding has led to each of these tribes arming themselves to the teeth with automatic machine guns instead of spears and each conduct cross border raids to steal cattle/cattle rustling. Couple that with the belief that each tribe believe that all the cattle (cows) in the World belongs to them, so they don't see nothing wrong with cross border raid. Afterall, they each believe if they steal and raid cattles, they are only taking back what God gave to them.

The drought is a serious problem to them but they also face threats from their othertribes in neighboring Countries with this cattle rustling issue. They each have this system where they would sell you cattle and then later steal it back or set up an ambush to get it back. Something needs to be done to take away the guns and prevent cattle rustling and the government of Kenya needs to erect water management system to help them out, open more schools, introduce law and order to punish cattle thieves.

VubandadaI hear what you are saying.Another point is that sometimes the animals themselves are responsible for detroying the habitat.When some of my nomadic relatives in somalia constantlycall my momasking herto sendthem money.She saysthey should"make use of all the animalsthey have".This is a valid point because sometimes people gatherso much livestock and make no good use of it.Thus when the rains fail the people starve along with theirlivestock.I don't knowabout the other countries but one gets the impression(in somalia)that having a lot of livestock is seen asa"status" to your family and clan.You are right the governments need to urgently help the nomads of africa.What is to come due to global warming will probably be a lot worse.

Maybe the nature ofnomadism itself needs to reanalyzed.There was the recentcase in Niger of "nomadic arabs" and their Camels destroying some of the agriculture.Can people look after animals all their lifes, get married at sixteen with no Education and then have more kids themselves?Personally Ifeelwith all the droughts and wars this way of life is not completely sustainable.I am not calling for the complete eradication of Nomadism.However the governments or Whoever else must try to introduce some sort of basic education,empower people to make use of their livestock, and try to creatsufficient water systems.

Camel dairy creams the profits


By Sylvia Smith
BBC, Mauritania
Camels are more like cats than cows, or so Nancy Abeiderrahmane believes.

"They tolerate humans in exchange for food, but they can control whether they let down their milk or not."But these temperamental animals are becoming a cornerstone of the local economy in Mauritania, thanks to a project that English-born Mrs Abeiderrahmane has set up to pasteurise and market their milk.Camels used to be milked next to the road "on demand", with the risk of spreading disease in a desert country where temperatures soar as high as 50 C. Although this is a long-established tradition, in the sweltering heat the milk quickly went off and was wasted.Unlike cows, female camels need their young around them if they are to give a steady supply of milk. So every mother camel wears a sort of bra to prevent the baby feeding whenever it wants.Herds usually consist of about 100 female camels and each produces about 10 litres a day.


Quality

The semi-nomadic herdsmen bring the camel milk to one of the collection points that have been set up close to where they graze their camels. The milk is measured and tested for cleanliness and quality, and the herdsmen receive an agreed amount per litre. "Our scheme has helped slow down urban drift," says Mrs Abeiderrahmane."Herdsmen now have a steady source of income throughout the year. They don't feel the financial necessity to move into town." But it is in the capital, Nouakchott, that the milk is pasteurised and packaged. It is brought to a state-of-the art aluminium factory by tankers, and in the course of a few hours is turned into a tetra-packed modern product.

Demand

"We customised standard dairy equipment to suit the special properties of camel milk," says Mrs Abeiderrahmane. "Demand has grown over the years because we deliver it to thousands of corner shops and it has caught on as a refreshing and convenient drink with the public." Although the packs of milk are popular, in the early days there were hurdles to overcome. Even the idea of selling milk to someone you didn't know seemed strange to the very traditional tribesmen. But Mrs Abeiderrahmane persisted. "It's partly due to the fact that I think camel's milk is exquisite," she confesses.




Demand has grown over the years because we deliver it to thousands of corner shops and it has caught on as a refreshing and convenient drink with the public Nancy Abeiderrahmane



Camel's milk is nutritious and low in fat