Armed conflict in Africa comes about when there is a fight between states or intra-state between a government and a group of organized armed militias or even between armed groups themselves. States in Africa have experienced all of the above forms of conflict, where the South Sudan- Sudan conflict is an example of a liberation war between states, as defined by Kum (1990). Post-election violence in Kenya in 2007 is an example of armed conflict between armed groups, while the Tigray war in Ethiopia is an example of armed conflict between the state and an armed group. Regardless of the type of armed conflict, the conflict has detrimental consequences on the development of a nation. Armed conflict is diverse in terms of cause and exacerbation. This paper addresses the diverse nature of armed conflict in Africa by providing a summary of two videos, i.e., Earth Peace Research Center (2021) and ISSAfricaTV (2015).
Causes of Armed Conflict in Africa
According to ISSAfricaTV (2015), sub-Saharan Africa and the middle east have the highest rate of intra-state armed conflict due to the following reasons. First, these nations have high rates of poverty. Earth Peace Research Center (2021) classifies poverty under systemic economic factors. For there to be armed conflict, groups feel like they have been wronged and justice has not been done. Poverty is a form of economic exclusion where the less fortunate feel like they have been ignored by the government and left to perish. As such, this group lacks allegiance to the state and is likely to be radicalized by the pretense of seeking justice. This fuels armed conflict. The war in Mozambique between the state and members of ISIS is an example of an armed conflict exacerbated by poverty.
Second, a shift in the form of governance from aristocracy to democracy. Democracy comes with a price. Aristocracy and other authoritarian modes of governance benefit the people in influential positions significantly more than ordinary citizens. Since the resources belong to the nations, people feel entitled to choose whom they would like to be led by, the kind of power the leader should have, and for how long. This improves accountability. The presence of young citizens lacking employment opportunities increases the chances of armed violence (ISSAfricaTV, 2015). In addition, the aristocrats and authoritarians must resist change. An example of such an armed conflict in Africa is that of Libya, where Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown.
Third, political conflicts. History of injustice leads to armed conflict (Earth Peace Research Center, 2021). Colonialism, for example, is a political conflict that leaves people colonized people with grievances. For example, Mugabe took back lands from white settlers even when they owned them legitimately. This could have led to armed conflict. In Kenya, there is a history of two ruling tribes; this might be a cause of concern because other tribes might feel left out, creating grievances.
Fourth, global systems are likely to influence armed conflict. According to Earth Peace Research Center (2021), nations cannot live in isolation. Instead, living near a nation with conflict is likely to cause conflict (ISSAfricaTV, 2015). For example, Somalia was at war with the Al Shabaab. The consequences started spilling over to Kenya when the Al Shabaab began abducting tourists on the Kenya-Somalia border. This led to an armed conflict between Al Shabaab and GoK because Al Shabaab was hurting tourism. Most recently, Tanzania has shown concerns for its peace due to the Mozambique-ISIS war in the northern parts of Mozambique.
In addition, global systems have influenced armed conflict in Africa by feeding onto it through weapons and manpower or politics. Militias can pledge allegiance to a certain group. For example, the resistance in the Mozambique-ISIS war is funded and supported by the global ISIS by providing leaders and weaponry. This fuels armed conflict within Mozambique. The USA also influenced the outcome of the armed conflict in Libya, which is yet to find stability. According to ISSAfricaTV (2015), long-term conflict in a nation predicts even more long-term conflict in the same state.
At the subregional level, armed conflict can result from competition for resources. This works together with the nation’s state structure, politics, and economy. It has been a pattern in African countries where the availability of resources predicts armed conflict. Earth Peace Research Center (2021) argues that poverty is related to inequality which fuels conflict. However, this relationship is more complicated than this since these factors are interdependent. For example, Nigeria has been an oil-rich country since the 1960s. However, its leaders have been corrupt, and the nation lost billions of oil resources to individuals. This widens the gap between the poor and the rich hence inequality. At the same time, the resource-rich natives, such as those in the Niger Delta region, feel aggravated because their resources are used for the benefit of the few while there is less development in their region and high poverty rates. This leads to armed conflict.
Other causes of armed conflict include cultural and social exclusion, where certain people are marginalized based on certain attributes. For example, a nation might exclude Muslims based on their religion. This minimizes their opportunities and alienates them. As such, this group remains vulnerable to violent extremism after being radicalized.
In conclusion, armed conflict in Africa is an issue that has multiple influences. Inside the nation, there might be the marginalization of a group, poor resource allocation, poverty, and political injustices, all of which create grievances that lead to armed conflict. Armed conflict in Africa is also influenced by external actors such as governments, i.e., the USA, and colonialists or extremists such as ISIS. One thing they have in common is that it leads to destruction.
References
Earth Peace Research Center. (2021, August 24). Factors of African conflicts [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JgdwTFVUvs
ISSAfricaTV. (2015, February 10). Setting realistic poverty reduction goals [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwyzNDk4zLc
Kum, J. M. (1990). African Interstate Conflict: A Perceptual Approach. Journal of Peace Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343390027004008
