Relationship Between Human Rights And Conflict

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

2.1. Introduction

In almost every region of the world, governments abuse the basic human rights of their citizens through the use of torture, violence and by stifling freedom of speech, assembly, and religion, among other things (Ausderan, 2014). This has resulted in several studies conducted on human rights violation and conflict by different scholars. For example, Parlevliet, (2002:8-43) examined the link between human rights and conflict management, and argued that conflict management can contribute to the protection and promotion of human rights in a variety of ways. Thoms and Rons (2007:1-25) discussed the relationship between human rights violation and internal conflicts. They

That is why Wiseman (1990:4) postulated that “many governments of quite different types wish to describe themselves as democratic. In some cases the term has even been incorporated into the official name of the state ... although it is a noticeable paradox that in most cases where this happened (e.g. the Democratic Republic of Congo) the states concerned appear significantly undemocratic”. The failure of most democratic regimes in Africa to adhere to constitutional provisions and the rule of law makes such democratic regimes capricious in nature. The challenges associated with labeling some African states as democratic requires a careful examination in order to ascertain if such description is

one infused with the spirit of liberty, justice and the rule of law and order. Since the Nigerian state is characterized by situations in which people are usually subjected to physical and mental torture, domestic violence, detention without trial, kidnappings, police brutality and other forms of repression, it becomes difficult to describe Nigeria as a democratic state. Consequently, one can argue that the character and nature of the activities of the Nigeria government since 1999 makes it appropriate to describe the regime in this study as civilian government rather democratic government. Civilian government can be defined as the transfer of political power from the military to the civilians through sporadic elections that de-emphasize the electoral processes and freedom of the electorates. In such a situation, the masses and their natural endowments work for the benefits of the few privileged people (Egbe,