After more than 30 years of federalism, ethnic conflict in Ethiopia hasn’t been resolved – but neither has the country disintegrated.
A high priest holds a cross during the celebrations of the Ethiopian Orthodox holiday of Meskel in Addis Ababa in September 2023.
Amanuel Sileshi/AFP via Getty Images
As an outlier in Kenya’s political power matrix, Ruto was elbowed out by the establishment. But he has somersaulted back by appealing directly to the masses.
Catholics in Lagos protest against the incessant killings in Benue state.
Adekunle Ajayi/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Western leaders learned the hard way 25 years ago that conflict in the Balkans can become ethnic cleansing. Add Russia into the mix, and Montenegro’s new problems are US and European problems, too.
Internally displaced persons gather for government briefing in South Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the scene of violent clashes between rival communities since 2019.
Photo by ALEXIS HUGUET/AFP via Getty Images
Because ethnic territories are a major source of political friction and persecution in the world, it’s important to investigate how they are created and used in conflicts.
Thousands of Ethiopian refugees have fled the violence, crossing into neighbouring Sudan.
EPA-EFE/Leni Kinzli
Drivers and cyclists develop distinct identities of themselves and others in ways that mirror the formation of ethnic identities. And on-road segregation runs the risk of reinforcing this process.
A view of Ambon, the capital of Maluku, where conflicts have crippled the province’s economic growth.
Shutterstock
Comparing real Maluku and synthetic Maluku (a Maluku without prolonged conflicts) shows that Maluku could have 60.3% more economic growth had it not experienced conflicts.
Iranians watch a soccer match between Iran and Uzbekistan at a Tehran cafe last month. Compared to their neighbours, Iranians are not plagued by ethnic tensions.
AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi
Unlike its neighbours, Iran’s different ethnic groups live in relative peace and harmony. Given terrorism is often spurred by ethnic conflict, will Iranians be spared further terrorist attacks?
People go to the beach in large numbers and for many different reasons, and sometimes that’s a recipe for conflict.
tazzymoto from www.shutterstock.com
In many ways, the conflict we see on our beaches may be a small price to pay for the free and open access to our beaches, which Australians have long fought to preserve.
By engaging a broad base of people on a popular level, film has a much more immediate and visceral impact than formal lustration proceedings.
Before the Rain (1994)
Cinema can be instrumental in opening up dialogue on collective culpability for the past. Manchevski’s Before the Rain and Angelopoulos’ Ulysses’ Gaze are perfect examples of this.
A police officer takes a picture of a royal guard to Charles Wesley Mumbere, king of the Rwenzururu kingdom, during the November crackdown.
Reuters/James Akena
It comes as no surprise that nationhood in Uganda is still an elusive idea. Many people associate with their ethnic groups more affectionately than with their country.
An army soldier in Douentza in the Mopti region of central Mali in March 2013, before the government lost control.
Farafi net.com/flickr
With northern Mali mired in conflict, increasing instability in the centre of the country is worrying observers. The attitude of the Malian authorities holds the key to defusing these tensions.
Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups and more than 500 languages.
Reuter/Akintunde Akinleye
Ethnic divisions persist in countries like Nigeria not because the ‘cultures’ of those countries are predisposed to ethnic strife, but as a result of a weak state.
Escalating clashes between herders and farmers in Nigeria threaten the country’s national and food security. A response based on innovation, sustainability and political will is urgently needed.
Robert Sobukwe developed the philosophy of African nationalism to even higher intellectual heights. The lesson for humanity was his ideological stand that there is only one race - the human race.
Donald Trump speaks at the South Carolina Tea Party Coalition Convention in Myrtle Beach.
REUTERS/Randall Hill.
REUTERS/Randall Hill
Insults are tossed about in an election year but the word “demagogue” has a particular bite. But what is a demagogue and how do the 2016 candidates compare with demagogues in history?
Ethnic tensions at Kenya’s universities are not new. But the intensity is increasing, and ethnicity is interfering with how universities are run.
Reuters
Kenya’s universities have become hotbeds of ethnic tension and conflict. This has affected everything from staff appointments to broader institutional governance.
Jimmy Spire Ssentongo is an Associate Dean (Research and Publication), School of Postgraduate Studies and Research at Uganda Martyrs University, Uganda Martyrs University