An unidentified bacteriological agent is found in groundwater and surface water sources in Mozambique. Sources report that the Rhodesian government had deposited the agent to target the black population in the country.
The Civilian Cooperation Bureau, a covert South African unit, is accused of an attempt to infect the water supply of a refugee camp in Dabora, Namibia, with cholera and yellow fever. The attempt is thought to fail due to the high chlorine content in the water.
A major plot to kill millions of black South Africans living in the townships near Johannesburg is discovered by the South African National Intelligence Agency. The attackers are a group of far right-wing white South Africans. Their plans consist of contaminating water supplies by pouring an agricultural chemical into reservoirs that supply four townships.
A water tank at a primary school in Kirinyaga County, Kenya, is vandalized and poisoned. No one was harmed by the poisoned water.
One person is shot and killed after violence erupts between the farmer and herder communities in Kenya where water and land disputes are a driver of conflict.
In Nigeria’s “Middle Belt,” dozens are killed in tensions between farmers and pastoralists over the use of farmland, grazing fields, and water sources.
Several farmers from Mwatate, Kenya are attacked, one killed, by camel herders after attempts to chase camels from the agricultural land. The camel herders have moved to the area to find land and water for their stock. Farmers are also concerned about the potential spread of disease and pollution of the local water sources from camel feces and urine.
South Africa supports a bloodless coup by Lesotho’s defense forces. Immediately afterward, the two countries agree to share water from the Highlands of Lesotho, following 30 years of unsuccessful negotiations. There is disagreement over the degree to which water was a motivating factor for either party.
Violence between farmers and herders kills over 1,000 people in 2014 in Nigeria alone, according to Human Rights Watch. At the root of this violence is the issue of access to land and water resources.
South African troops move into Angola to occupy and defend the Ruacana hydropower complex, including the Gove Dam on the Kunene River. Goal is to take possession of and defend the water resources of southwestern Africa and Namibia.