Chpter 7 Key issue 3: Why do ethnicities clash?

1. Chpter 7 Key issue 3: Why do ethnicities clash? By: Mohima Yeasmin

2. Ethnic Competition to dominate nationality • Sub-Sahara Africa is a region that is especially plagued by conflict • It’s between different ethnic groups competing to become dominant within various countries • The horn of Africa and central Africa are two areas within Sub-Saharan Africa where conflicts between ethnic groups are harsh • Countries in the horn of Africa are Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia as well as Sudan

3. How does Europe tie in? • Europe used to be colonized in Africa and when they left the term “Nation State” didn’t really mean anything to them • When they left they did not divide Africa into nation states and that caused problems because there were different ethnicities living in the same country and that caused a battle for dominance between ethnic groups

4. Ethiopia and Eritrea • Was and Italian colony in 1890 • Ethiopia, an independent country for more than 2,000 years was captured by Italy in the 1930’s • Ethiopia regained independence after world war II • The U.N. thought Ethiopia would give Eritrea authority to run it’s own affairs but Ethiopia dissolved the Eritrean legislature and Eritrea's major local language, Tigrinya • The Eritrean’s rebelled which led to a 30 year fight for independence (1961-1991) • During the war an estimated 665,000 Eritrean refugees fled to Sudan • In 1991 Eritrean rebels defeated the Ethiopian army • In 1993 Eritrea became and independent state • In 1998 war between Ethiopia and Eritrea flared up again because of argument over location and border • Ethiopia defeated Eritrea and took possession of the disputed areas • Ethiopia remained a complex multi-ethnic state from the late 19th century to the 1991’s Ethiopia was controlled by the Amharas who were Christians • After the gov. defeat in the early 1990’s power passed to a combo. of ethnic groups

5. Sudan • Population= 40,000 • The civil war was in the 1980’s between the black Christian rebels in the south and animist rebels and Arab-Muslim dominated government in the south • The black southerners are resisting what gov. attempts there are to convert the multi-ethnic society to one nationality tied to Muslim traditions • Lots of segregation between men and women • Where segregation can’t be put there are still laws/rules that separate the men from women • 5% of the population more than 2 million Sudanese were killed in the civil war • 1 million were forced to migrate from the south to the north or to Ethiopia • Sudan blames Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Uganda for helping the Christian animist rebels • Eritrea blames Sudan for undermining it’s gov.

6. Solmalia • Composed of Sunni Muslims and speak solmani • Solmani is a nation-state with national history and culture • 8 million inhabitants • 6 major ethnic groups(clans): • North Isaak Darod Dir • South Digil Hawiye Rahanwayn • Until 1991 a Darod sub clan known as Mahareen ruled Somalia nut in 1991 rebels dominated by a the Hawiye took control over southern Solmalia, Isaak clan gained control of much of the north • In the 1990’s Isaak clan declared the north as a separate state and adopted it’s own flag and currency called Somaliland • During the colonial period what the Isaak’s called Somaliland was ruled by the British while the rest of Somalia was an Italian colony • In 1992 3000,000 people mostly women and children died of famine from the warfare between the clans • The U.S. sent 7,000 troops to Somalia

7. Lebanon • Composed of 4 million people • Lebanon has been damaged by fighting among religious groups since the 1970’s • Maronite are Lebanon's most numerous Christian sect, accounting for 2/3 of the countries Christians • Greek Orthodox are 1/6 of the countries christians • The remaining 1/6 are Greek Orthodox, Armenian, Syrian, orthodox (Jacobites) and Chaldeans (Assyrian) • 60% are Muslim, 30% are Christian, 10% are other • 2/3 of Lebanon's Muslims belong to one of several shite sects • 1/3 = Sunni Muslims • Became independent in 1943 • Civil war = 1975 • Now most of Lebanon is controlled by Syria

8. Dividing Ethnicities in South Asia • When the British ended their colonial rule in the Indian sub-continent they divided the country into 2 irregularly shaped countries India and Pakistan (east and west) • Pakistan was two parts west Pakistan and east Pakistan which is not present day Bangladesh • It became Bangladesh in 1971 • The separation boundaries were based on ethnicity • When east Pakistan wanted independece that led to a 9 month long war between the two countries but eventually east Pakistan won and became Bangladesh

9. Sri Lanka • 20 million inhabitants • Has been torn by fighting between the Sinhalese and the Tamils • Sing the fighting began in 1983, 60,000 have died in the conflict between the two ethnicities • Sinhalese comprise 74%of Sri Lanka’s population • 300 year later the Sinhalese were converted to Buddhism and Sri Lanka became one of that religion's worlds centers • Sinhalese is an Indo-European language • Tamils are 18% of Sri Lanka’s population • Tamils are Hindus and the Tamil language in the Dravidin family is also spoken by 70 million people in India • The dispute between Sri Lanka’s two ethnicities extends back more tan 2,000 years • Since independence in 1948, Sinhalese have dominated the government military and most of the commerce • Tamils feel that they suffered discrimination at the hands of the Sinhalese dominated gov.

10. The Kurds • And ex. of an ethnicity divided among several states the Kurds who live in the Caucasus south of the Armenians and Azeris • The Kurds are Sunni Muslims who speak a language in the Iranian group • The Kurds lived in an independent nation-state called Kurdistan during the 1920’s , but today 25 million Kurds are split among six countries • 15 million live in eastern Turkey • 5 million live in western Iran • 4 million live in northern Iraq • Smaller numbers in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Syria • Basically when the borders were re-drawn the Kurds never were really granted their own country so now they live in various parts of the Caucasus region