The stereotype of Africa is that it is war-torn. Frequent TV images of brutal conflicts, child soldiers and atrocities against civilians have helped form this opinion. Actually, this stereotype isn’t entirely true, with much of the continent being at peace. However, Africa has had a staggering 108 individual conflicts since 1960. There have been more wars in Africa during this period than any other region of the world. But why is this? Why does Africa actually have so many wars?
Wars in Africa are caused by widespread poverty, often a lack of democracy and weak central governments. The legacy of colonialism, ethnic and religious tensions and separatist movements also drive conflict on the continent. Climate change, and the continents young demographic, are further causes of conflicts in Africa.
Now we know what drives many of the conflicts in Africa, let’s take a look at some of these factors in more detail…
Intrenched Poverty
Poverty is a major cause of wars in Africa. When people are unable to meet their basic needs, they are more likely to take up arms or become involved in conflicts.
Africa has 490 million people living in extreme poverty – defined as living on under 1.90 USD a day. Poverty is the root cause of many wars in African countries. People living in poverty have little alignment with the state and can have almost no financial or material investment in the status-que. This can drive people in destitution towards conflict.
Wars in Africa often have a complex mixture of causes. However, underlying poverty is a major reason why other factors such as natural resources, inequality or ethnic tensions lead to conflict on the continent.
There are many examples of wars in Africa being driven by poverty. The ongoing civil war in South Sudan is fought along ethnic lines, however the abject poverty of the country is a key driver of people towards armed groups.
Another example of poverty fueling conflict in Africa is Somalia. The civil war in Somalia has continued since 1991. The widespread poverty in the country is seen as an important reason for the prevalence of armed groups and the continuation of the fighting there.
Legacy of Colonialism
The legacy of colonialism is a major reason why there are many historical and ongoing wars in Africa.
European colonialism changed Africa enormously. By the time African states gained their independence, they lacked good governance structures, the required infrastructure, high levels of education and national cohesion. These are all key to building a united and effective country. Many African countries fell into conflict since independence due the difficulties in governing following de-colonization.
Another legacy of colonialism that has led to wars in Africa is the arbitrary way national borders were drawn. Imperial countries divided Africa between themselves with no regard for ethnic, religious, cultural, or political groupings. This meant when African countries got independence, they were often made up of divided groups with majority and minority populations.
The make-up of many African countries and lack of cohesion caused as a result of colonialism is seen as one of the main reasons Africa has so many wars.
There are many examples of how colonialism has resulted in fighting in Africa. The current conflict in Cameroon between Anglophone and Francophone regions is a direct legacy of European colonial rule and the policies taken as part of decolonization process.
Separatism
A major reason why Africa has seen so many wars in recent decades is because of the many separatist movements on the continent.
Separatists wish for a part of a country to break-away and to form a new independent state. Although there are peaceful separatist movements, including in Africa, many armed struggles on the continent are because of independence movements.
The arbitrary nature of Africa’s borders, as we discussed, is a key reason for the number of separatist conflicts. The grouping together of different ethnic, religious, and cultural groups into nations following the decolonization process meant many minority groups took up arms to fight for independent nations.
Many African countries struggle to allocate economic resources effectively. They also often have weak central governments and have political systems that favour one ethnic group above others. This has led to many armed separatist movements on the continent as people feel they would get better access to resources by breaking away from the state.
The armed conflict that eventually led to South Sudan’s impendence from Sudan is a good example of a separatist war in Africa. However, most African wars driven by separatism to do not lead to the break-up of the country, but rather to drawn-out and bloody civil wars. An example of this includes ongoing conflicts in Ethiopia and Somalia.
A Lack of Democracy
Of the 54 African countries, only 11 are classified as ‘fully free’ democracies. Many African countries are dictatorships, or generally lack inclusive and representative forms of government.
Africa sees many wars because its states fail to represent people effectively. In addition, there are many countries on the continent where the government systems exclude different ethnic or religious groups. This is a major cause of conflicts in Africa. As people feel excluded from the decision making and resource allocation of the state, they often rise-up and either attempt to seize control or break-away.
Democratic countries almost never fall into civil war. Democracies also do not go to war with other democratically governed countries. As Africa lacks widespread democracy and many countries on the continent have authorisation systems of government, this results in many internal conflicts. The few major inter-state conflicts fought in Africa have also been between non-democratic countries.
An example of how a lack of inclusive democracy has caused wars in Africa include the current Tigray conflict in Ethiopia. The countries inability to fully represent many different ethnic groups in government has led to regions rebelling against the central state.
The Libyan Civil Wars also highlights how a push for democracy can result in war in Africa.
Weak Governments
Many governments in Africa, regardless of their type, fail to govern effectively. This leads to wars on the continent as communities have little faith in their governments and take up arms to try and secure either more resources or an independent country where they feel they will be better governed.
Africa sees a lot of wars because of the weaknesses of many of its states. An effective government needs to collect taxes, deliver services, build infrastructure, and develop a cohesive narrative over which a countries people can bond together. Too many governments in Africa fail to meet these requirements. This results in conflicts as counter-narratives and ideas of separation take hold.
Many governments in Africa also lack legitimacy. This means they often result to authoritarian leadership and commit human rights abuses in order to remain in power. This has been a key reason for several wars in Africa.
There are a number of examples of weak central governments being at least partly the cause of conflicts in Africa. The central government in Mali has for years been unable to effectively deliver services in remote parts of the country. This has led to an Islamists insurgency as people see the weakness of the government in Bamako.
Control of Natural Resources
Africa has some of the largest deposits of natural resources in the world. Enormous reserves of gold, iron, copper, silver, oil, diamonds, uranium, coca, cobalt, and bauxite can be found on the continent. This should mean many African countries are rich, but in fact frequent wars of over natural resources plague many countries.
Natural resources are a common driver of conflicts. Whoever controls the land, controls the minerals. With huge sums available by selling resources and many of the minerals in Africa being key to the global economy, armed groups see gaining control of natural resources as a key way to build finances and power.
As we have discussed, many African countries have weak governments and economies. This means they often fail to manage their natural resources effectively and spread the wealth they can generate around the country. Africa sees many wars because local people believe they can better manage the mineral resources than the current system does.
The best example of how natural resources causes war in Africa is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The east of the country is especially rich in minerals but is plagued by armed groups who use these natural resources to fund their insurgency.
Widespread Inequality
Inequality leads to conflict and Africa has some of the most unequal countries in the world.
Essentially, when people live in a society they feel they cannot prosper in, whilst others in that society gather vast wealth, it makes some people turn to violence to overturn the economic order. Although millions of Africans are poor, there is a growing middle class across much of the continent as well as an ultra-rich elite. This has bread resentment in some African countries and is seen as a cause for conflicts.
Much of the inequality in Africa comes from the top of society reaping the benefits of natural resources, international trade, or lucrative governments contracts. The closed economies at the top of these countries prevents wealth from trickling down. African countries can fall into armed violence when groups feel they are excluded from being able to prosper.
An example of an ongoing war in Africa that has inequality at its root is the conflict in northern Nigeria. Much of Nigeria’s wealth is located in the south where oil revenue and large cities drive economic growth. Inequality in the north of the country has driven people towards armed groups such as Boko Haram.
Ethnic and Religious Divides
It’s widely thought that ethnic and religious differences within countries and regions is one of the mains reasons why Africa has a lot of wars.
Africa has more than 3,000 ethnic groups. There are more than 2,000 languages spoken on the continent. However, as a result of European colonialism, Africa’s modern borders do not reflect its ethnic make-up. Instead, mixtures of ethnic and religious groups live together within one country, whilst others are divided by borders and spread across multiple states. In many African countries, there is a dominant ethnic majority and a range of ethnic minorities. In others, there are more equal sized ethnic groups that all vie for power.
Wars in Africa are caused by ethnic groups fighting for control of power and resources. Other conflicts on the continent are caused by the majority ethnic group fighting minorities to retain power, or minority groups supressing majority ethnic populations. The linguistic, ethnic, cultural, and religious divide within many African countries has been a key driver of armed violence.
An example of ethnic and religious divides driving conflict in Africa is the ongoing violence within the Central African Republic (CAR). With a population divided between many ethnic groups, as well as a large Christian and Muslim divide, CAR has seen an ongoing civil war along ethnic and religious lines since 2012.
Foreign Interference
Africa has been plagued by outside interference for centuries. Many international powers, even today, fuel wars on the continent because they are in their own interests, not necessarily Africans.
Outside forces often play a role in conflicts in Africa. Countries such as the US, UK, France, and Russia, as well as many Middle Eastern powers, have all been involved in wars and armed violence in Africa. Many of these countries say they intervene in Africa to help resolve conflicts or assist Africans. However, many foreign forces also wage war in Africa because it is in their own strategic interest.
As well as external actors playing a role in African conflicts, many African nations fuel wars in other countries on the continent. This is also often done because it is in their interest for wars to continue or because they see a benefit in other African countries being destabilised.
An example of international forces being involved in African wars include the Second Libyan Civil War. Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Russia have all been involved in the war directly or indirectly.
An example of African states driving conflicts in other countries on the continent include the Second Congo War, where nine African countries were involved in the largest war the continent has ever seen.
Demographics
Another factor seen as being a major cause for wars in Africa is the continent’s demographic.
Africa has an incredibly young population. The average age of an African is only 19 years old. Youthful populations have been shown to be more susceptible to conflict. Young people are fitter and more able to fight, but also, they are less invested in the current economic and political order. Almost all of Africa’s regions have large and growing youth populations and this is thought to be a major reason for the amount of wars that take place.
As well as having a huge young population, many countries in Africa have failed to create dynamic and inclusive economies that provide opportunities. This means many young people are unable to get the education and jobs they require and many feel excluded from the society and unable to prosper and provide for their families.
The combination of young populations and a lack of dynamic economies has resulted in many of Africa’s wars.
There are many examples of the youthful demographic of the continent driving wars in Africa. These can include South Sudan, DRC, CAR, Ethiopia, and Nigeria.
Impact of Climate Change
A final reason why Africa has seen so many wars is because of climate change.
Climate change is seen as major cause for conflicts in many parts of the world. As the climate changes, people lose livelihoods and access to vital resources such as water. There are also more natural disasters such as storms and floods, as well as an increased likelihood of droughts and famines. All these events can drive communities towards armed violence.
Africa is on the frontline of the climate emergency. Over the last decades the impact of the changing climate has had a huge effect on some African countries. Many lack the finances and resources to help communities transition as the climate changes or help people recover their livelihoods, this has led to conflict.
An example of climate change being seen as one of the main causes for a war in Africa has been the Darfur conflict. The changing climate forced nomadic communities to settle as they could no longer find the resources required to migrate. This led to conflict with other ethnic groups that were settled in the area as water, food, animals, and land were viewed as not enough to support multiple communities.