3.4. Communal and ethnic clashes 12 Area: in the North-Central Region (Hausa/Fulani) and in the Benue (Tiv/Jukun) and Enugu (Agulari/Omulai) states. Root of the conflict: Tribal conflict with primary interest in occupying land and leadership. As mentioned several times before, it is often difficult to unders- tand the limits between outright persecution, historical ethnic rivalries, and simple banditry. Many African countries have a very short history as a national unit. Furthermore, as we well know, many of the borders were drawn by European powers, without regard to ethnic families. African countries did not create their borders based on a na- tional identity forged over the centuries. Nigeria is just 63 years old. Before it was called Nigeria, several centuries-old states and kingdoms had coexisted, each with its own allies and rivals. The rivalry between ethnic groups is still a polarizing factor in many African countries. Ethiopia and South Sudan are clear examples. Historically, identities in Nigeria have played an important role in the political process both during the colonial period and in the post-colonial era. Many of the imbalances Nigeria suffers today date back to the colonial period, because the British allowed or even encouraged the emergence of identities as major factors in the distribution of power and sociopolitical development. Like with many other ruling powers, divide and conquer was a fac- tor and this has to be taken into account in the reality of the coun- try today. Muslims against the Christians, northerners against southerners, Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo among themselves. Religious and ethnic differences became strategic factors in the merger of territories that arose during the colonial era.
On the other hand, it is important to try to understand the cul- ture and idiosyncrasy of the African continent, so unknown to most Westerners. In Africa, ethnicity is still considered the most basic and politically salient identity of the citizen. Most Africans, in competitive and non-competitive contexts, tend to define themselves through ethnicity, which is stronger than social class or religion. A Comboni missionary who worked as missionary in South Sudan for many years expressed it this way to ACN du- ring a research trip: blood (of the tribe) is stronger than water (of baptism). Rather than Descarte’s “I think, therefore I am”, one of the firm foundations of traditional African metaphysics is “I am united to the other, to the others, therefore I exist, therefore we exist”. The common house that everyone is talking about now is a philosophical principle of African culture. In Nigeria almost half of Nigerians (48.2%) identified with an eth- nic identity, compared with 28.4% who identified by reference to class and 21% who identified with a religious group. This means that more than 66% of Nigerians consider themselves members of a basic ethnic or religious group. However, violent conflicts for purely ethnic reasons in Nigeria are few in number, and rarely occur today. The Tiv-Jukun conflict in Benue state, which has political and economic undertones, goes back to the post-colonial time, and had a resurgence in 2020, but has decreased again. The Hausa-Fulani conflict in Zamfara and Katsina is related to criminality and banditry. Purely ethnic dis- putes do not usually reach the magnitude of the other conflicts mentioned here. But being part of the identity of the Nigerians, it is a very passionate, intrinsic and powerful factor that, if added to other conflicts, only increases and expands the problem.
HAUSA-FULANI North-West
NIGER
LAKE
CHAD
SOKOTO
CHAD
SOKOTO
STATES OFFICIALLY INTRODUCED IS MORE THAN 20 YEARS AG
KATSINA
KOMADUGU
ZAMFARA KATSINA
KANURI North-East
JIGAWA
BIRNIN KEBBI
BORNO
YOBE
GUSAU
KANO
MAIDUGURI
NORESTE HAUSA – FULANI
DUTSE
DAMATURU
KANO
KEBBI
TIGO DAM
JUKUN Central-East
NOROESTE KANURI
KADUNA
BAUCHI
GOMBE
KADUNA
BAUCHI
KAINJ RESERVOIR
BENIN
NIGER
GOMBE
CENTRO OESTE JUKUN
JOS
ADAMAWA
TIV South-East
MINNA
NIGERIA
YOLA
KWARA
ABUJA
PLATEAU
SUR OESTE TIV
JALINGO
FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY
LAFIA
NASSARAWA
ILORIN
OYO
IGBO Central-South
TARABA
CENTRO SUR IGBO
EKITI
LOKOJA
OSUN OSHOGBO
KOGI
IBADAN
MAKURDI
ADO-EKITI
BENUE
AKURE
ABEOKUTA
OGUN
SURESTE YORUBA
ONDO
YORUBA South-West
EDO
ENUGU
IKEJA
CAMEROUN
ABAKALIKI
LAGOS
AWKA
BENIN CITY
ENUGU
EBONYI
ASABA
ANAMBRA
FRONTERA
BIGHT OF BENIN
CROSS RIVER
ABIA
DELTA
UMUAHIA
OWERRI
AKWA IBOM
CALABAR
GULF OF GUINEA
RIVERS
YENAGOA
UYO
© Aid to the Church in Need, 2023 Reproduction in authorised provided the source is visible acknowledged.
BEYELSA
PORT HARCOURT
BIGHT OF BIAFRA
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