Conflict Resolution in Africa
CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN AFRICA: CHALLENGES FOR THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY
BY
Ibrahim Alhassan
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
1. Man from the earliest times has always lived in societies each with its peculiarities. But a common variable had been the scarce economic resources he has to contend with and which often times threaten his survival. As man continued to interact with one another a gradual tussle evolved amidst these limited resources that further threatened human existence. Thus economic interests motivated great social upheaval resulting in radical social changes. Karl Marx noted that class struggle often result from these conflicting economic interests. In the communist manifesto, Marx and Engels wrote, ‘‘ the history of all hitherto existing society is a history of class struggles. Freemen and slaves, lords and serf, oppressors and the oppressed stood in constant opposition to one another and carried on an uninterrupted hidden or open fight. Sometimes these fights end either in a revolutional reconstruction of society at large or in the common ruin of contending classes’’. 1
2. From the foregoing, the social system had been based on economies of scarcity rather than on abundance. Thus, privileges, power and prestige would always be unequally distributed in such societies. This inequality would lead to inevitable class struggle.
3. Conflict is therefore an outcome of human interaction. It is a situation of disagreement between individuals, parties or states. A conflict situation is characterised by the inability of those concerned to iron out their differences.2 Conflict is indeed the most enduring endeavour of mankind as the ultimate means of resolving disputes. Human wants are unlimited but the means to satisfy these wants are scarce. There is therefore, an inherent struggle in man for greater share of the limited resources. Conflict of interest is the result of these struggles.3 Most times, these conflicts
BY
Ibrahim Alhassan
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
1. Man from the earliest times has always lived in societies each with its peculiarities. But a common variable had been the scarce economic resources he has to contend with and which often times threaten his survival. As man continued to interact with one another a gradual tussle evolved amidst these limited resources that further threatened human existence. Thus economic interests motivated great social upheaval resulting in radical social changes. Karl Marx noted that class struggle often result from these conflicting economic interests. In the communist manifesto, Marx and Engels wrote, ‘‘ the history of all hitherto existing society is a history of class struggles. Freemen and slaves, lords and serf, oppressors and the oppressed stood in constant opposition to one another and carried on an uninterrupted hidden or open fight. Sometimes these fights end either in a revolutional reconstruction of society at large or in the common ruin of contending classes’’. 1
2. From the foregoing, the social system had been based on economies of scarcity rather than on abundance. Thus, privileges, power and prestige would always be unequally distributed in such societies. This inequality would lead to inevitable class struggle.
3. Conflict is therefore an outcome of human interaction. It is a situation of disagreement between individuals, parties or states. A conflict situation is characterised by the inability of those concerned to iron out their differences.2 Conflict is indeed the most enduring endeavour of mankind as the ultimate means of resolving disputes. Human wants are unlimited but the means to satisfy these wants are scarce. There is therefore, an inherent struggle in man for greater share of the limited resources. Conflict of interest is the result of these struggles.3 Most times, these conflicts