Cause Of War In Africa

War can be defined as a state of armed conflict between different nations or states.

Political and ethnic causes are among the top causes of war in Africa. This is because Africa has some of the weakest states institutions, there is also elite political power struggles, a feeling of political exclusion, corruption and identity politics. African countries in general struggle in understanding which ideology they stand for. This is after the cold war impact where nations aligned themselves according to the ideologies they stood for. During the cold war the fight between two ideologies came about. That is the capitalist versus the Communism. USA being behind the capitalist ideology where they believed in individually owned property, and in general

Political institutions that are unable to manage differing group interests peacefully, to provide adequate guarantees of group protection, or to accommodate growing demands for political participation, can fracture societies. States that are in political transition stand to be rocked by war between different political institutions. Uncertainty and collective fears of the future, stemming from state weakness may result in the emergence of armed responses by marginalised groups and nationalist, ethnic or other populist ideologies. Somalia for example is proof of how weak institutions may lead to war. After the fall of the Barre kingdom in 1991 civil war broke out in this country due to the state of uncertainty of the ruling government and splinter groups like Al-Shabaab established their command as well as control over certain regions. This has been the case to date only that there has been introduction of a transitional government in the region and AMISOM troops mandated by AU to help restore peace in the region. Another example is that of Sudan and Angola which during the cold war the super powers took advantage of the political unrest in these countries to instigate war by funding rebel groups. The more the super powers were involved the much stronger the war became. In Angola it was a war instigated by control over the rich diamond mines in the country while in Sudan it was control over the oil wells

Some ethnic groups feel or are perceived as more superior than others in terms of resorce abundance, employment opportunities, education, and also holding government or leadership positions. This superiority complex leads to communities disagreeing and the scramble for the scarce resources begins. Africa being a third world country and having over a thousand ethnic groups provides for room to build up these conflicts. An important theory on conflict and conflict management is John Burton's (1979, 1997) human needs theory. This approach to ethnic conflict explains that ethnic groups fight because they are denied not only their biological needs, but also psychological needs that relate to growth and development. These include peoples' need for identity, security, recognition, participation, and autonomy. This theory provides a plausible explanation of ethnic conflicts in Africa, where such needs are not easily met by undemocratic