Ethnic Cleansing Among African Tribes
Ethnic Cleansing
Can past and present campaigns for ethnic cleansing among some African tribes be attributed to illiteracy? While empirical evidence exists supporting some evidence that illiteracy may contribute a small amount to ethnic cleansing, it is not the primary impetus behind mass genocide. Research shows that campaigns for ethnic cleansing among certain African tribes cannot be entirely prevented with only the eradication of illiteracy because of territorial conflicts, historical grievances and religious intolerance. Shaw (2003) notes that historically, territorial grievances and religious intolerance are among the top reasons for ethnic cleansing throughout the world. Consider the case of Hitler, where mass ethnic cleansing reached its peak, primarily for reasons including religious intolerance, with secondary factors including history and territorial imperialism. It is critical to gather qualitative evidence supporting this theory to attempt to salvage what little hope there is left for African nations that still struggle under the threat of extinction due to political regimes interested in annihilating entire peoples.
This paper will examine the causes of such cleansing or "extinction" in greater details with particular emphasis on territory, history, and religion to provide more historical context for ethnic cleansing in Africa and amongst African tribes. An overview of ethnic cleansing, synopsis of the problem and conclusion are provided.
Ethnic Cleansing Overview
There are many instances of ethnic cleansing throughout history among African tribes, each with specific links to territorial arguments, religious intolerance, or historical causes. While there is literature supporting illiteracy as a plausible cause for ethnic cleansing, it is not cited as a primary cause. Shaw (2003) notes that war and ethnic cleansing or genocide often go hand-in-hand. Throughout history genocide or ethnic cleansing have often accompanied each other. Factors influencing genocide include political, socio-economic factors, and religious causes (Shaw, 2003). Is this the case among African tribes? Hodgson (2002) and Sambanis (2000) suggest ethnic cleansing has historically been problematic among indigenous peoples. Problems including imperialism and territorial struggles have always facilitated a need to extinguish smaller or less powerful indigenous tribes (Hodgson, 2002; Sambanis, 2000). In many countries, this can result from a need to gather resources, power, or political control over a region. There may be other causes as well. Illiteracy may be a factor, if the indigenous peoples do not speak or read the language of the conquering "tribe" or peoples. Consider the most well-known instance of ethnic cleansing, that which occurred in Germany. In this case, religious factors were the most obvious cause; but political, economic, cultural and other factors certainly contributed to the genocide (Shaw, 2003). It is likely that individuals that were illiterate may have actually been spared during this time, because they were seen as less of a threat. However among tribal peoples, illiteracy may prove dangerous, as political motives penetrate civil entities and organizations and push through causes that may prove harmful to ethnic minorities, particularly poor ethnic minorities opposed to wealthy ethnic minorities (Abdul-Jalil, 2006). The political agenda for eradicating indigenous populations may include power and control of natural resources within a region.
Olsson and Siba (2010) conduct an analysis of the ethnic cleansing campaign in Darfur, noting that the local struggle exists because of dwindling natural resources particularly between "African farmers and Arab herders" rather than resulting from illiteracy. This is an example of a conflict resulting from territorial disputes, one that historically has been a problem among many ethnic tribes. In this instance, the researchers explore government attacks of more than 500 civilian villages during counter-insurgency campaigns beginning in 2003, noting that attacks were targeted at villages dominated by rebel tribes primarily and that resource variables particularly capturing water and land quality were primary reasons for ethnic cleansing. Many authors support the notion that the need to capture valuable resources was a primary and valid reason political parties and militia would engage in ethnic cleansing programs (Hodgson, 2002; Emenyonu, 2008; Mann, 2005). Other reasons for ethnic cleansing include political reasons and religious struggles, which can be traced historically.
Mann (2005), a prominent UCLA-based sociologist,
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