Central and Horn of Africa - From Stability to Instability
05 Jun 2012
The final installment of our focus upon Africa considers the continent's
most problematic regions. Whenever Central and the Horn of Africa are talked
about, the violence and political instability that plague these regions are
usually mentioned in the same breath. Central Africa's long history of
political violence and brutality is often attributed to the colonial powers'
decision to divide the region without due regard for social and ethnic
coherence. This led to the creation of central African colonies that defied
the logic of the region's ethnic affinities. And more often than not the
rule of the colonial powers was marked by extreme brutality. King Leopold's
rule of the Congo, for example, is widely considered to be one of the most
brutal periods of the entire colonial era.
Central Africa's post-colonial history has also been marked by periods of
violence and instability. Like its neighbors in
<
http://www.isn.ethz.ch/isn/Editorial-Plan/Dossiers/Detail/?lng=en&id=141739
&contextid782=141739> Southern and
<
http://www.isn.ethz.ch/isn/Editorial-Plan/Dossiers/Detail/?lng=en&id=142511
&contextid782=142511> Western Africa, the region has struggled to address a
multitude of economic and political problems. This often resulted in the
military seizing power or the brutal enforcement of 'strongman rule'.
Further complicating the political and security dynamics of Central Africa
has been the flow of migrants across the region that are either fleeing
political violence or economic hardship. Indeed, such immigrants in turn
complicate ethnic tensions in their host countries, which often results in
further violence.
While the Horn of Africa also experienced colonial rule, the region is
unique in that its largest country - Ethiopia - has never been formally
colonized. Yet Ethiopia has been far from a beacon of regional stability.
Instead, Ethiopia's modern political history has been marked by revolution,
Cold War competition and territorial conflict with its neighbors. However,
since 1991 Somalia has been inextricably linked with the concept of the
failed state. Clan rivalries contributed to the overthrow of then President
Siad Barre and resulted in Somalia's ongoing inability to form a workable
political system. Further complicating attempts to form a government in
Somalia has been the emergence of Islamist groups who have seized control of
parts of the country and closely aligned themselves with al Qaida.
Accordingly, stabilizing Central and the Horn of Africa increasingly matters
to the international community. Central Africa is not only home to
considerable amounts of natural resources, its sheer size means that the
political violence and instability that continues to plague the region is
also widespread. Conversely, the Horn of Africa is home to a phenomenon that
compromises the security of one of the world's busiest shipping routes. The
absence of authority within Somalia has allowed pirates to target vessels in
the Gulf of Aden and beyond. And while both regions play host to military
deployments and humanitarian intervention to counter such concerns the
common refrain remains unchanged - what has gone wrong in Central and the
Horn of Africa?
In order to answer this question we begin by tracing Central and the Horn of
Africa's recent historical march towards instability. What then follows are
case studies that highlight the onset of disintegration at the regional
level. After considering Kenya and Somalia on Tuesday we turn to the recent
separation of Southern Sudan from the rest of the country. In doing so, we
ask whether the international community has been partly responsible for the
creation of a newly-minted failed state? Indeed, has the creation of
Southern Sudan also changed the pattern of disorder and political violence
across the region?
We end the week by considering how national and international actors are
attempting to bring a semblance of stability to Central and the Horn of
Africa. On Thursday we begin by analyzing how international actors have been
attempting to address the problems that continue to bedevil both regions.
Have their attempts to stabilize Central and the Horn of Africa been
entirely successful? To assist in answering this question, we round off the
week by analyzing the effectiveness of local attempts to bring peace and
security to these most fragile of regions.
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Received on Tue Jun 05 2012 - 07:51:19 EDT
