A world bank report notes that politics and poverty cause civil wars, not ethnic diversity. They arise from anomalous economic, political and social. Conflict sources many factors cause conflict in subsaharan africa, some direct, others indirect. The current attention to ethnic conflict contrasts markedly with the approach of previous periods. Although the vast majority of africans live in peace with their neighbors, life has been nasty, brutish, and short for millions of others who live in illfated parts of the continent where hobbesian civil wars have recently raged. Conflicts and causes of conflicts in africa project. Tribalism is one of the causes of ethnic conflict in nigeria. Godfrey mwakikagile, ethnic politics in kenya and nigeria huntington, new york. North africa was a crucial combat zone during both wars.
Conflict and state security in the horn of africa 41 that determine relationships. We estimate the determinants of land conflicts and their impacts on input application in kenya by using a recent survey of 899 rural. This points to the need for a change in the continents approach to conflict management. The democratic transformation process in both countries is not yet complete. The root causes of ethnic conflict in africa are poorly understood. In many african countries where leadership remains in the same hands and continues to serve colonial interests, state apparatus are known to sponsor some inter ethnic conflicts as a divideandrule strategy. The impact of ethnic conflict on economic development. If you wish to distribute this article to others, you can order highquality copies for your following the guidelines here. This paper attempts to demonstrate that this idea is mistaken. Conflict is defined as the consequence of a clash of interests between two parties, groups, or countries due to chasing contrasting or incompatible goals. The causes of ethnic conflict in multi ethnic societies1 hossien mohammadzadeh assistant professor of sociology, department of social science, payame noor university, tehran, iran email address.
From the colonial times till date, leaders use ethnic biases to win election and divide the country. In postcolonial africa, these conflicts are greatly exacerbated by the neocolonial arrangements that characterise many african governments. There has been a popular misconception that africas numerous wars and conflicts are caused by ethnicity. Mali, sudan, and ethnic conflict in northern africa the. Marshall 2005 page 2 of 28 numbers of countries experiencing any magnitude event of each of three general types of armed conflict, as well as the annual number of countries experiencing any type or magnitude of armed conflict, for further reference. Conflict torn subsaharan africa during the 1980s and 90s. It can also be said to be an incompatibility, as of two things that cannot be simultaneously fulfilled. The basis of understanding conflict, security and collective wellbeing of people includes relationships that dominate interactions of two or more entities in contact with one another. Ethnicity and religion as sources of political division in africa. Ethnic conflict remains the biggest cause of deaths especially in the continent of africa. Developing country management ethnic conflict by participation and justice policy that the equality is the best way for resolve this problem. The causes of ethnic conflict in multiethnic societies.
Indeed, if they did not, nearly every village and province in africa would be a cauldron of conflict. Since ethnic conflicts abound, and are escalating in contemporary africa, many have simply traced the root cause of armed conflicts to the multi ethnic composition of african states. The variable measures simply if there is an ethnic conflict in a given state or not. The root causes of conflicts in the horn of africa science. It has been experienced with a number of armed conflicts, ethnolinguistic disputes, religious radicalism where in it catches the attention of most developed nations including us for their strategic interest over the region. A short critical discussion rama venkatasawmy statistics show that onethird of the population in the south is incomepoor and onequarter is poor in terms of the undps human development index pearce 2000. The significance of ethnic conflict management in africa is underlined by the continents underdevelopment and weak economic growth.
Causes, impact and implications for the great lakes region acknowledgement in 20, the chairperson of the african union commission, nkosazana dlaminizuma, requested that the economic commission for africa eca undertake three regional studies to. Most of the available sources address ethnic conflict in africa from the point of view of either ethnic diversity or climate change and competition for natural resources to the exclusion of mass grievances to the state. These o s cieties are often characterized by persistent deeprooted and identityrelated. January 20th the economic causes of civil conflict edward miguel, shanker satyanath and ernest sergenti, 2004. A study by a german academic says religious conflicts in subsaharan africa have been on the rise for decades. Ethnic conflict project south africa by charlee anderson on.
Conflicts and causes of conflicts in africa project topics. Causes of conflicts in africa conflicts in africa may be said to have been caused by a multiplicity of factors such as. An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two ethnic groups within a state, one dominant and one subordinate. Africa, most ethnic groups in africa coexist peacefully with high degrees of mixing through interethnic marriage, economic partnerships, and shared values. Pdf this article argues that ethnic conflicts in africa often have structural sources. Amiclar cabrals dictum posits that there are no real conflicts between the peoples of africa. For instance, the katanga in zaire, in sudan, in ethiopia, biafra in nigeria, in somalia, and idi amins coup in uganda. This is partly because of the tendency to view ethnic difference as a major cause or driver of civil wars or political instability in africa. It covers leading theories and models of interethnic conflict and. Causes of ethnic conflict in africa have resulted in several separatist movements and military coups. It has been experienced with a number of armed conflicts, ethnolinguistic disputes, religious radicalism where in it catches the attention of most developed nations including us. It encompasses colonial wars, wars of independence, secessionist and separatist conflicts, major episodes of national. Root causes, consequences, and solutions for the future ppha 3874001 course information. While most media portrayals of the car conflict have focused on a christian vs.
Uncertainty, each ethnic conflict has its own unique characteristics and, in different contexts, some of these elements will be more prominent than the others, but all of them are the common denominators necessary for ethnic conflict to occur. This study presents a conceptual framework for understanding the conflict in one of the most dangerous regions of the world the caucasus. Conflicts arising from the construction of ethnicity to conceal exploitation by building solidarity across class lines, conflicts arising from appeal to ethnic support in the face of vanishing political legitimacy and from. The handbook of ethnic conflict examines the social, psychological, historical and political underpinnings of these conflictsparticularly the ethnic, cultural, religious, and national identities that feed ingroupoutgroup antagonistic perceptions and fuel cycles of aggression. In developing country incidence were low and in the developing sever. Economic and political causes of civil wars in africa. Introduction this paper explores the relationship between armed conflict and constitutional and political engineering in ethnoplural african societies. The biafra war, also known as the nigerian civil war, is an educative example when studying african ethnic conflict. One may prefer ones kinsfolk or ones own community without being antagonistic to others. This inference seems selfevident to many, given that african rebel movements almost always are ethnically. And the majority of those people are located on the african continent which, no matter what form of.
At the core of ethnic conflicts is the relationship between ethnic groups and the state in the search for security, identity, and. In the following section, i will address the relationship between poverty and conflict and vice versa. Loyalty to ethnic groups impedes true nationalism and unity of the country. Misinterpreting ethnic conflicts in africa africa center. Causes, effects, remedies, organizational, conflict, concept. Hundreds of ethnic groups, some of which have hostilities that continue reading. They arise from anomalous economic, political and social structures prevalent in many african societies. Stop wasting time in meetings and be more productive at work.
The conflict is usually not about ethnic differences themselves but over political, economic, social, cultural, or territorial matters. Ethnic conflicts in kenya occur frequently, although most are minor skirmishes. Especially in africa, religion has been at the heart of much of the contemporary conflicts. Even though poverty and conflict are different phenomena which plague different societies, the effect of one on the other has been the subject of much research. Project muse the roots of ethnic conflict in africa. But incidence of ethnic violence was different in varying country. Accordingly, this paper attempted to identify and critically analyze the due.
Religion is a controversial issue in world affairs. Apr 30, 2010 while the ethnic group is the predominant means of social identity formation in africa, most ethnic groups in africa coexist peacefully with high degrees of mixing through interethnic marriage, economic partnerships, and shared values. Many states are made up of numerous ethnic groups, defined as groups that share common heritage, interests, beliefs, historical experience, and cultural traits. Competing theories of ethnic conflict in the caucasus abstract. Datasets on intra state conflicts uppsala conflict data program correlates of war project national, ethnic and communal conflicts penn university the failed state index global peace index global conflict trends systemic peace minorities at risk journal of peace research. Sometimes these interethnic conflicts over land and cattle develop into rebellions and armed fighting between the ethnic groups and the state, when the latter. Ethnic conflict, a form of conflict in which the objectives of at least one party are defined in ethnic terms, and the conflict, its antecedents, and possible solutions are perceived along ethnic lines. Mar 02, 2015 the horn of africa hoa has been mentioned as one of the most disputed regions of the globe. This article argues that ethnic conflicts in africa often have structural sources. Particularly for liberia, this was prominent as 49 per cent of the population reportedly identified ethnicity and ethnic divisions as the root cause of the liberian civil wars vinck et al 2011. Research conducted across the subregion identifies ethnicity and ethnic fragmentation as one of the root causes of violent conflicts in west africa. The mfecanedifaqane wars were not ethnic conflicts. Pdf ethnicity as the root cause of conflict and its.
The legacy of historical conflict evidence from africa. This article examines the framing of ethnic conflict in northeast india, focusing on militant groups and insurgency in the hill areas of assam and a form of political violence known locally. There is a great deal of interest in the causes and consequences of conflict in africa, one of the poorest areas of the world where only modest economic progress has been made. Create a study guide for your students with prezi video. Reexamining ethnic conflict in subsaharan africa yale political. Although, this research does not entirely rule out these arguments considering for example the case of the horn of africa, it sees this approach or analysis to explaining the conflict situation in africa as problematic because it lacks the clarity and consensus as to the exact make up of the ethnic or tribal phenomenon. Force and intimidation can only be counter productive. Researcher matthias basedau says weak african states are a major cause.
While ethnic diversity by itself need not generate ethnic conflict, it is evident that ethnicity can. In this video, crisis groups central africa project director thierry vircoulon explains how the intercommunal tensions between armed groups in car, which straddles the mainly muslim sahel and the predominantly christian central african savannah, is now compounded by an emerging conflict between armed communities. Rather than accepting identity conflict as an inevitable feature of africa s highly diverse ethnic landscape, a number of preventative policy interventions can be pursued. They were nothing more than a miniature wwi i am not saying that they were a world war of course restr. It adds that where there is ethnic diversity, there is actually less chance for civil wars, as long as there is not just a small number of very large ethnic groups, or ethnic. Colonial production, extraverted and coercive as it already was, was ruthlessly reorganized to produce record amounts of primary agricultural and mineral commodities for the imperial armies and economies. Igbohausa feud that began after the military coup and countercoup of 1966, culminating in the civil war in 1967, efikibibio conflict, tivjukun debacle, fulanibirom clashes, and itsekiriurhoboijaw conflict in the niger delta. Pdf structural causes of ethnic conflict researchgate. The main thesis of the book is that ethnic political mobilization is essentially a function of deeplyfelt grievances on the part of the groups so mobilized. Military recruitment and coup detat in the country have always been with ethnic colouration to establish ethnic dominance on other ethnic groups in the country.
Understanding the causes of conflicts in africa africa has a high prevalence of civil wars and this is commonly attributed to the ethnic diversity of its countries. Since the period of decolonization, many of these places have been the scenes of significant. Since the prehistory of ethnic conflict management is largely forgotten, a digression may be permitted here. Some econometric results 7 also, rebellions may occur when forgone income is unusually low and this can be proxied by mean income per capita, male secondary schooling, and the growth rate of the economy in the preceding period representing new income opportunities. This book focuses on the problem of ethnic conflict in africa and seeks to explain its root causes. These conflicts are the focus of two useful collections, one primarily descriptive, the other organized around the prescriptive theme of institutional reform. Poor governance, ethnic rivalry, mismanagement of land and natural resources, declining economic conditions, and widespread poverty and famine form a daunting bulwark against stability. Additionally, the use of international troops during coups promotes human cruelties and abuse of human rights of the. A literature search indicates the following to be prominent direct or indirect causes. Additionally, the time component is a matter of incomplete and inconsistent data if one examines cases that extend too far back as well as the need for a time lag to present in. This paper asks whether postcolonial conflict is, at least in part, a legacy of historical conflict by examining the empirical relationship between conflict in africa. Ali mazrui quotes nigeria as an example of the tendency. The conflict is usually not about ethnic differences themselves but over. Peace in africa is not the absence of war, but the provision of the peoples basic human needs.
The root causes of conflicts in the horn of africa. This is a list of conflicts in africa arranged by country, both on the continent and associated islands, including wars between african nations, civil wars, and wars involving nonafrican nations that took place within africa. Conflict can be defined as a clash or disagreement often violent between opposing groups or individuals. Most countries across the globe are ethnically pluralistic societies. Furthermore, most of the literature agrees on the operationalization of ethnic conflict into a simple dichotomous variable. Jul, 2018 what research is that where you found the history of ethnic conflict in south africa. It is not clear that ethnicity by itself generates conflict or that it is inherently threatening. And in all three cases, murder was the primary weapon used to facilitate the expulsion of these outsiders and invaders.
In this book, donald rothchild analyzes the successes and failures of attempts at conflict resolution in different african countries and offers comprehensive ideas for successful mediation. A significant increase in the severity of such conflicts between the various ethnic groups inhabiting the country was witnessed after the introduction of multiparty politics in the early 1990s, especially during the. Mali, sudan, and ethnic conflict in northern africa also available in french here africa, for all its beauty and rich history, has always been a complex and often harsh continent. In the african state, there is a pull towards privatisation of the state and towards militarisation. By proposing a typology of armed conflict, the study seeks to achieve analytical clarity and contribute to conflict analysis.
Managing ethnic conflict in africa demonstrates how negotiation and mediation can promote conflict resolution and a political environment that fosters economic development. The common notion is that the multi ethnic african state is inherently conflictual and therefore conflict is an intrinsic phenomenon of the multi ethnic state. Ethnic conflict and sustainable development in nigeria. Africa, conflict, car, nigeria, somalia, south sudan, sudan, boko haram, alshabaab introduction violent conflict escalated in africa in 2014, with five countries in subsaharan africa the. Ethnic conflict among the professionals cuts across many professions in the country be it military, academic, business. Ethnicity and ethnic conflict violence in twentieth century. The history of africa as a continent is replete with conflict. Most countries especially in africa have experienced a form of conflict that has. Africa s salvation depends on the development and implementation of effective institutions of ethnic conflict management. Nasongos preface sets the stage for the roots of ethnic conflict in africa.
Root causes of violent conflict in developing countries. From the conflict between the southern igbo and the northern hausa in the biafra war, to the ethnic cleansings in darfur and rwanda, africa has suffered tremendously as a result of ethnic discord. It also points out that in africa, failed institutions are also a cause. From grievance to violence, an edited volume, which has three illustrations, nine chapters, a rich bibliography, and an index. Before tackling conflicts in africa one should first consider conflict in general. Pervasive conflict throughout much of subsaharan africa defies easy resolution due to a unique web of factors. Religion is often depicted as a trigger factor in many conflicts. Ethnic characteristics are a universal and ubiquitous feature of humanity. The oldest of these intellectual traditions, ethnic primordialism suggests that politics and conflict in the region hinge on hardened antagonisms between ethnic or tribe groups horowitz. Religious conflicts on the rise in africa africa dw. Theory and facts this copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only.
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