Abstract
The end of the Cold War in Africa was marked by an upsurge in intra-state conflicts. This new theater of civil war in post-independence Africa was characterized by bloody civil war, death, wanton destruction and displacement of populations as witnessed in Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and, later, Western Darfur—to mention but a few. Today, the resilient and ubiquitous presence of ethnic militia remains a central feature of African politics and society. Employing a historical-descriptive analytical approach, this chapter sheds light on an intriguing set of actors on the African political scene. Furthermore, the role of ethnic militias in shaping the African sociopolitical and economic spheres of influence is critically analyzed, before pertinent academic and policy-relevant recommendations are proffered.
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Notes
- 1.
Nzau, Mumo. “Inter-African Diplomacy and the Crises of the Post Cold War Period.” East African Journal of Humanities and Sciences. 7.2 (2007): 1–17.
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Van Evera, Stephen. Guide to Methods for Students of Political Science. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1997: 1–23.
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Anifowose Remi and Francis C. Enemuo. Elements of Politics. Ibadan: Malthouse, 1999: 281–310.
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Goran, Hyden. “Governance and the Study of Politics.” In Governance and Politics in Africa. Edited by Goran Hyden and Michael Bratton. Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1992: 7.
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Ibid., 8–10.
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Bratton, Michael 1989. “Beyond the State: Civil Society and Associational life in Africa.” World Politics 41 (1989): 407–430.
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David J. Francis. “Introduction” in Civil Militia: Africa’s Intractable Menace?, edited by David J. Francis, 1–27. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing House, 2005: 1.
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Schraeder. African Politics and Society: A Mosaic of Transformation, 90–91.
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Allen, Tim and Koen Vlassenroot. The Lord’s Resistance Army: Myth and Reality. New York: Zed Books Ltd, 2010: 18.
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Tordoff. Government and Politics in Africa, 189–200.
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Falola Toyin and Raphael Chijioke Njoku. War and Peace in Africa. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press: 28.
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Allen, Chris. “Warfare, Endemic Violence and State Collapse in Africa.” Review of African Political Economy. 26.81 (1999): 367–384.
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Gebrewold, Belachew. “Civil Militias and Militarization of Society in the Horn of Africa.” In Civil Militia: Africa’s Intractable Security Menace. Edited by David J. Francis, 187–209. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing House, 2005.
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See, Kubai. “Historical and Cultural Dimensions of Militia and Rebel Groups in Africa,” 57.
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See Tordoff. Government and Politics in Africa, 221–238.
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Mumo, Nzau. “A Critical Examination of the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC).” In Contemporary Issues in Kenya History and the Challenges of Nationhood, edited by Samuel Nyanchoga and Maurice Amutabi, 357–370. Nairobi: Franciscan Kolbe Press, 2014.
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Macharia, Munene. “State, Regional and International Responses to Militia and Rebel Activities in Africa.” In Militias, Rebels and Islamist Militants: Human Security and State Crises in Africa, edited by Wafula Okumu and Augustine Ikelegbe, 447–436. Pretoria: Institute of Security Studies, 2010.
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Simiyu R. Romborah. Militarization of Resource Conflicts: The Case of Land-Based Conflict in the Mount Elgon Region of Western Kenya. Leiden, Netherlands: Institute of Security Studies, 2008.
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Bamadus, Isiaka Alani. “Ethnic Militia Movements and the Crisis of Political Order in Post-military Nigeria.” Journal of Social Science 13.3 (2006): 191–198.
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Tar, Usman. “Counter-Insurgents or Ethnic Vanguards? Civil Militia and the State Violence in Durfur Region, Western Sudan” In Civil Militia: Africa’s Intractable Security Menace?, edited by David J. Francis, 131–152. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing House, 2005.
- 46.
Boas, Morten and Anne Hatloy. “Getting in, Getting Out: Militia Membership and Prospects for Re-integration in Post-War Liberia.” The Journal of Modern African Studies 46.1 (2008): 33–55.
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Hoffman, Danny. “The Meaning of a Militia: Understanding the Civil Defence Forces of Sierra Leone.” African Affairs 106.425 (2007): 639–662.
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Alie, Joe. “The Kamajor Militia in Sierra Leone: Liberators or Nihilists.” In Civil Militia: Africa’s Intractable Security Menace?, edited by David J. Francis, 51–65. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing House, 2005.
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Macharia, Munene. “Mayi Mayi and Interahamwe Militias: Threat to Peace and Security in the Great Lakes Region.” In Civil Militia in Africa: Africa’s Intractable Menace?, edited by Francis J. David, 231–247. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2005.
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Wehrey, Fredric. “Libya’s Militia Menace.” Foreign Affairs (2012).
- 51.
Faleye, Olukayode Abiodun. “The Emerging Militia Networks in West Africa” Vlassenroot, Koen. “Magic as identity maker: conflict and militia formation in Eastern Congo.” Displacing the State: Religion and Conflict in Neoliberal Africa (2012): 112–115.
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———. 2011. On Political Leadership and Development in Africa: A Case Study of Kenya. Kenya Studies Review 3 (3): 87–111.
———. 2014. A Critical Examination of the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC). In Contemporary Issues in Kenya History and the Challenges of Nationhood, ed. Samuel Nyanchoga and Maurice Amutabi, 357–370. Nairobi: Franciscan Kolbe Press.
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Rukooko, Byaruhanga. 2005. Protected Civil War, Civil Militias and Political Transition in Uganda 1986. In Civil Militia: Africa’s Intractable Security Menace, ed. David J. Francis, 213–230. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
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Nzau, M. (2018). Uncivil Society and Ethnic Militia in African Politics. In: Oloruntoba, S., Falola, T. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of African Politics, Governance and Development. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95232-8_26
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