Why Are There So Many Civil Wars in Africa ? : prevention of future conflicts and promotion of inter-group cooperation : Ad Hoc Experts Group Meeting on the Economics of Civil conflicts in Africa

Abstract

Contrary to popular belief, Africa’s civil wars are not due to its ethnic and religious diversity. Using recently developed models of the overall incidence of civil wars in 161 countries between 1960-1999, we draw lessons with special reference to Africa, showing that the relatively higher incidence of wars in Africa is not due to ethno-linguistic fragmentation, but rather to high levels of poverty and, especially. to failed political institutions. The best and fastest strategy to reduce the incidence of civil war in Africa and, by extension. to prevent civil wars in the future, is to institute democratic reforms that effectively manage the challenges of diverse African societies. Civil wars being the extreme antitheses of inter-group cooperation. the ultimate strategy for prevention of future conflicts in Africa has to be based on finding the "right" political governance and economic management institutions for promoting such cooperation. We argue that Africa's ethnic diversity would in fact help, rather than impede, the emergence of stable development promoting bargaining process among social groups, provided those ethnic groupings are formally integrated into the political process.