By looking at the actors, locations, motives and patterns reported by data and field research. Credible ways to test linkage include: (a) identifying who carried out attacks (Boko Haram/ISWAP, local “bandits”, militias, criminal gangs, Fulani herders, etc.), (b) mapping where incidents occur (geography/community lines), (c) examining motives (ideological terrorism vs. resource/land disputes vs. cattle rustling vs. organized crime), and (d) checking forensic/eyewitness/NGO/government reports for overlap (arms, command structures, coordination). Indepth reports (ACLED-style datasets, UN/NGO country reports and research papers) show multiple distinct but sometimes overlapping conflicts — some linked by weapons flows or criminal networks, some separate (insurgency vs. farmer–herder clashes), and some that feed each other (e.g., insecurity enabling kidnappings which finance further violence). In short: rigorous incident data + actor attribution + local contextual research reveal whether crises are separate or intertwined.