Det står imidlertid klart, at konflikter altid omfatter ekstremt fattige mennesker, og at konflikter, der angiveligt har et religiøst motiv, ofte udløses af andre årsager som f.eks. konflikter mellem traditionelle herskere, stridigheder mellem samfundene om jord og ressourcer, politiske magtkampe samt spændinger mellem statslige og føderale regeringer.
It is apparent, however, that conflicts always involve extremely poor people and that conflicts presented as religiously motivated are often triggered by other causes, including conflicts between traditional rulers, land and resource struggles amongst communities, political in-fighting, and tensions between state and federal governments.