The Sahel has once again drawn attention from around the world, more than 40 years after a devastating famine devastated the region. A vicious cycle of rising poverty, instability, and intergroup violence has been brought about by poor economic performance, rising instability, and deteriorating climatic circumstances. As groups primarily reliant on natural resources lose their sources of income, climate change intensifies long-standing rivalries and leads to an increase in violent incidents. In this research, we contend that, although clientelism and institutional failures are the real underlying causes of violence, climate change is a contributing factor.