IRREGULAR WARFARE IN AFRICAN CONFLICTS
Irregular wars have erupted in African states since colonial independence<br />from Western European countries in the 1960s. The end of the Cold War in 1989<br />and the changing nature of international politics did not bring about political<br />stability in African states either....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Afrikaans |
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Stellenbosch University
2011-08-01
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| Series: | Scientia Militaria |
| Online Access: | http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/79 |
| _version_ | 1819061542919864320 |
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| author | Rialize Ferreira |
| author_facet | Rialize Ferreira |
| author_sort | Rialize Ferreira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Irregular wars have erupted in African states since colonial independence<br />from Western European countries in the 1960s. The end of the Cold War in 1989<br />and the changing nature of international politics did not bring about political<br />stability in African states either. These intrastate wars were by-products of historic<br />disputes kept hidden during the Cold War. When the ideological confrontation<br />ended, they surfaced again. Intrastate wars and irregular warfare are not new<br />phenomena on the African continent and led to the collapse of state institutions in<br />countries such as Liberia, Somalia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo<br />(DRC), Uganda, Sudan and Burundi. Rather than addressing African animosities,<br />conflict continues unabated.<br />The article aims to investigate why irregular (or asymmetric) warfare is<br />utilised in African conflicts where rebel and ethnic groups retain residual military<br />capacity to deploy against weak central governments if their socio-economic<br />demands are not met in the emerging states. The article combines “grievance” and<br />“greed” models to explain the motivations for conflict, while the conceptualisation<br />and utilisation of asymmetric warfare approaches in the African context of irregular<br />war are questioned. Democratic values such as freedom, justice, equality and human<br />dignity are lacking in conflict-ridden societies where unequal forces compete for<br />political and economic control or control over scarce resources. Peacekeeping<br />operations cannot succeed unless the basis for equitable participation in, and the<br />sharing of wealth and power is established in African societies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T14:44:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c9eeca4f4bdb48a5819956d319e837dd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2224-0020 |
| language | Afrikaans |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T14:44:33Z |
| publishDate | 2011-08-01 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientia Militaria |
| spelling | doaj.art-c9eeca4f4bdb48a5819956d319e837dd2022-12-21T19:00:03ZafrStellenbosch UniversityScientia Militaria2224-00202011-08-0138110.5787/38-1-79IRREGULAR WARFARE IN AFRICAN CONFLICTSRialize FerreiraIrregular wars have erupted in African states since colonial independence<br />from Western European countries in the 1960s. The end of the Cold War in 1989<br />and the changing nature of international politics did not bring about political<br />stability in African states either. These intrastate wars were by-products of historic<br />disputes kept hidden during the Cold War. When the ideological confrontation<br />ended, they surfaced again. Intrastate wars and irregular warfare are not new<br />phenomena on the African continent and led to the collapse of state institutions in<br />countries such as Liberia, Somalia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo<br />(DRC), Uganda, Sudan and Burundi. Rather than addressing African animosities,<br />conflict continues unabated.<br />The article aims to investigate why irregular (or asymmetric) warfare is<br />utilised in African conflicts where rebel and ethnic groups retain residual military<br />capacity to deploy against weak central governments if their socio-economic<br />demands are not met in the emerging states. The article combines “grievance” and<br />“greed” models to explain the motivations for conflict, while the conceptualisation<br />and utilisation of asymmetric warfare approaches in the African context of irregular<br />war are questioned. Democratic values such as freedom, justice, equality and human<br />dignity are lacking in conflict-ridden societies where unequal forces compete for<br />political and economic control or control over scarce resources. Peacekeeping<br />operations cannot succeed unless the basis for equitable participation in, and the<br />sharing of wealth and power is established in African societies.http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/79 |
| spellingShingle | Rialize Ferreira IRREGULAR WARFARE IN AFRICAN CONFLICTS Scientia Militaria |
| title | IRREGULAR WARFARE IN AFRICAN CONFLICTS |
| title_full | IRREGULAR WARFARE IN AFRICAN CONFLICTS |
| title_fullStr | IRREGULAR WARFARE IN AFRICAN CONFLICTS |
| title_full_unstemmed | IRREGULAR WARFARE IN AFRICAN CONFLICTS |
| title_short | IRREGULAR WARFARE IN AFRICAN CONFLICTS |
| title_sort | irregular warfare in african conflicts |
| url | http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/79 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rializeferreira irregularwarfareinafricanconflicts |