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21 century Africa
st
It’s a different world now!
A good introduction to understanding violence in Africa can be got from
"States of Fragility 2016: Understanding Violence" (OECD, 2016). 99
The following can also give some insights as to the role that religious extremism
plays in the Sahel.
"A Review of Major Regional Security Efforts in the Sahel," Africa Center for Strategic Studies, March
2019, and"How Violent Extremist Groups Exploit Intercommunal Conflicts in the Sahel," Africa Center
for Strategic Studies, February 2020 100
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Long-standing ethno-national conflict
Ethiopia is a good example of this. For much of the with century a feudal kingdom.
Then in the latter half of the 20th century came a period under the harsh rule of The
Derg followed by a fierce civil war. Only then was the country at last able to start the
process of becoming a modern state.
Long-term development is already producing results. However, the modern state
was formed from a number of regional states, each involving their own distinct ethnic
group, each speaking their own regional language and each with their own form of
regional government.
Due to circumstances much beyond the control of the national government,
most modern development has been 'capital city centric'. Neighbouring countries
have had their own security problems, meaning that many regions of Ethiopia cannot
benefit from cross border trade. Hence, manufacturers have concentrated their
development closer to Addis Ababa, which lies in the Oromia region. The consequent
large loss of their land is a major source of resentment amongst the Oromos. At the
same time, the people of other regions feel resentful as they feel 'left out' because, as
they see it, the lion's share of development has gone to the Oromos.
The continent of Africa is a mosaic of ethnic groupings. It's actually an asset.
But it's all too easy for a sense of ethnic grievance to be hijacked by individuals,
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companies, and m'zuŋ u powers for their own ambitions.
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Election related violence
Between 2010 and 2016, the highest number of politically violent events occurred in
Somalia, Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC)
