The Rise of Religious Armed Conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa: No Simple Answers
| Autor: | Basedau, Matthias |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies - Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien, Institut für Afrika-Studien |
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
Politikwissenschaft
Political science Bewaffneter Konflikt Gewalttätigkeit Religiös motivierte Gewaltanwendung Religiöser Fundamentalismus Beziehungen zwischen religiösen Gruppen/Religionsgemeinschaften Konfliktursachen/Konfliktanlass Peace and Conflict Research International Conflicts Security Policy Friedens- und Konfliktforschung Sicherheitspolitik Christentum religiöse Faktoren Afrika südlich der Sahara Islam religiöser Konflikt Sahel-Zone Fundamentalismus Entwicklungshilfepolitik Konfliktlösung Radikalismus Afrika EU Sahel Region radicalism conflict resolution Africa religious factors religious conflict Christianity development aid policy Africa South of the Sahara fundamentalism 10500 |
| Zdroj: | 4, GIGA Focus Afrika, 12 |
| Druh dokumentu: | Arbeitspapier<br />working paper |
| ISSN: | 1862-3603 |
| Popis: | In June 2017, the European Union announced its support for Sahelian governments in fighting religious extremists. This move is a reaction to severe religious violence in many sub-Saharan countries. As of mid-2017, eight out of ten armed conflicts in the region are displaying a religious dimension. Either warring factions differ by religious identity, or they have incompatible ideas regarding the role of religion in the state. Ideas-based "theological" conflicts have strongly increased recently. Geographical hotspots of theological armed conflicts are the Sahel, Nigeria, and Somalia. All these conflicts either have already spilled over to neighbouring countries or are likely to do so. The consequences have been extreme: the violence has claimed thousands of lives and produced millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, and it continues to undermine the political, economic, and social development of the affected countries. Although Islamist insurgencies predominate in ideas-based religious conflicts, Christian rebel groups in Congo-Brazzaville, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda have also been active since the turn of the millennium. Countries with mixed religious populations are prone to interreligious conflicts, which has materialised in cases such as the Central African Republic, Nigeria, and Côte d'Ivoire. The causes of these conflicts are not yet fully understood, though they appear to demonstrate a mixture of religious and secular roots. Parallel ethnic- and religious-identity boundaries increase the risks of interreligious confrontation. Weak states both enable the activities of religious extremists and make their ideology a tempting alternative for the population. External support for religious extremism from countries in North Africa and the Middle East poses a special problem. There are no easy solutions. Efforts to counter religious conflicts must focus on religious and non-religious causes as well as security and development. Development prevents religious violence in the long run; security operations can help hinder or deal with imminent threats. International actors should support African governments, but sustainable policies will be in vain if they do not build on African efforts and capacity. |
| Databáze: | SSOAR – Social Science Open Access Repository |
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