Ethnic Conflicts Around the World

AP Human Geography

Ethiopia/Eritrea –The Horn of Africa

• Both were Italian colonies (Eritrea – 1890, Ethiopia – 1930s)

• Post WWII – Ethiopia given independence and control of Eritrea– Bans local language– Dissolves Eritrean legislature– Eritrea fights for independence 1961-1991

Eritrea as a State

• 1991 – Eritrea defeats Ethiopian army

• 1993 – Eritrean independence

• 1998 – border dispute between the 2 countries; violence restarts

• 2000 – Ethiopia wins disputed area

Eritrea and Ethiopia Today

• Ethiopia – 3 major ethnic groups– Amharic/Coptic Christians

in the north– Muslims in the south

(Oromo, 40% pop.)– Eastern Orthodox in the far

north (Tigres)

• Eritrea – 9 ethnic groups (split between Muslim and Christian) remain largely united b/c of common fight against Ethiopia

The North/South Geography of Sudan

• North Sudan– Arabs– Muslims– Urbanized– Ties to Egypt– Dry

• South Sudan– Blacks– Christians and animists– Farmers– Ties to Chad, Uganda,

Kenya– Tropical, lush rainforests

Facts & History of Sudan• Large, poor, 40m people • Independence in 1956 from

Britain• Civil Wars

– 1956-1972• N & S at war over control of central

gov’t

– 1984-2005• Central gov’t (Arab Muslim

dominated) trying to assert power over South (black Christians and animists)

• Imposition of Shari’a law • Discovery of oil• 2 mill+ people died, 5% of pop.,

1mill+ refugees• Accord in 2005 called for autonomy

in the south and power sharing in nat’l gov.

Sudan Today and Darfur

• Today, Sudan’s gov’t is the NIF – Nat’l Islamic Front– Capital: Khartoum

• Darfur– Region in western Sudan– Early 2003

• Opposition groups in Darfur rose up against NIF

– Gov’t crushed the rebellion.

Genocide?

• Sudan’s gov’t supporting an Arab militia known as the Janjaweed– Looting and burning

villages– Bombings of villages– Rapes, murders

The People of Darfur

• 400,000 dead• 2 million displaced• Another 1.5 million in

need of humanitarian assistance– Very difficult for this to

happen, though, b/c the area is hard to reach and dangerous

Who’s helping?• United Nations

– July 2004: demanded that Sudanese gov’t disarm Janjaweed and prosecute leaders

• U.S.– Powell, Bush: genocide is

occurring• African Union

– Troops in place, but not enough to protect civilians

• Today– Calls for UN peacekeepers– Sudan says this would be

occupation– Peace Treaty written in May 2006

but only 2 groups have signed it (including gov’t forces)

Somalia• 9m people, 6 major

groups/clans• Seem unified on surface:

– Sunni Muslim– Somali speaking

• 1990s – traditional means of control disturbed; warring clans, Somaliland declares independence from rest of country, but not recognized

• Collapse of government, refugees

• 1992 – 300,000 die from famine and war

Somalia

• 1992 – U.S. send troops to help with food distribution and to take weapons from armed militias

• 1994 – Peace talks collapse and U.S. troops withdraw

• TODAY – Islamic militants overthrew warlords. (US gov’t had backed warlords)

Lebanon• 4m people in country of 4,000 miles (like CT)• 1943 – Lebanon gains independence from

France• Becomes financial & recreational center in

Middle East• Beirut = “Paris of the Middle East”

Lebanon• Ethnic makeup of Lebanon

– 30% is Christian• 2/3 of Christians are Maronites• 1/6 of Christians are Eastern Orthodox• 1/6 of Christians are of other sects (Greek

Catholic, Armenian, etc)

– 60% are Muslims• 2/3 are Shiite Muslims (Hezbollah & others)• 1/3 are Sunni Muslims

– 7% are Druze (combines elements of Christianity and Islam; secretive religion)

Where do the ethnicities of Lebanon live?

Ethnicities in the Gov’t

• Since independence in 1943, gov’t divided/distributed through the religions:– President = Maronite– Premier = Sunni– Speaker = Shiite– Foreign Minister = Greek Orthodox

Who is unhappy with this situation?

• Christians have majority control in gov’t and businesses

• Muslims want more equality and participation in the gov’t

• Gov’t unable to deal with these changing conditions and divisions…

Civil War in Lebanon• Broke out in 1975• Each religious group has warring

militia.• Syria, Israel and U.S. all send

troops at some point.• 1983 – U.S. Marine barracks

destroyed by a truck bomb - 241 Marines die - US pulls out

• Lebanon left in hands of Syria, whose troops withdrew in 2005

• Early 2006 - relative stability• 2006 war - Israel and Hezbollah

casualties, extensive damage to infrastructure, refugees from July 12, 2006 until ceasefire on August 14, 2006

Current Situation in Lebanon

• Summer 2006– Hezbollah (Muslim extremist group) fires rockets into

Israel– Israel responds with rocket firing– “War” lasts for just over a month– UN helps organize a cease-fire– Israel’s concerns: Hezbollah in control in Southern

Lebanon (backed by Iran)– Lebanon concerns: Question about Lebanese gov’t

ability to control Hezbollah

Dividing Ethnicities among more than one state: South Asia

• 1947 British end rule of Indian subcontinent - divide into 2 countries: India and Pakistan. – Pakistan is 2 non-contiguous states (East

Pakistan became Bangladesh in 1971)– Divisions based on ethnicity: Pakistan-Muslim,

India-Hindu– Hinduism is great uniting force in diverse India– History of fights over territory in N. India -

became religious wars

Forced Migration and Ethnic Disputes

• The Partition of South Asia caused migration of 17m people b/c boundaries did not match exactly - violence– Never agreed on boundary between India and

Pakistan in northern region of Kashmir– 1972, maintained “line of control” splitting region.

Muslims who are majority in region have been fighting guerilla war to reunite with Pakistan or become independent country.

• Further unrest in India: Sikhs - not given own country at partition. 25m (2% of India’s pop. But majority in Indian state of Punjab)

Pakistan v. India

• Pakistan– Let residents decide– Pretty sure that

Muslims in Kashmir will “side” with their Muslim nation

• India– Blames unrest in the

region on Pakistan– Doesn’t want to lose

Kashmir

Sri Lanka

Ethnicities in Sri Lanka– Sinhalese are 74% of pop.

• Buddhists• Came from N. India

– Tamils are 18% of pop.• Hindus• Came from S. India

Colonial Control to Independence

• Conflict had been suppressed by Europeans, who controlled Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) until 1948 (2,000 year old conflict, held off for 300 years of colonial rule)

• Sinhalese held most of the gov’t, military and economic power after independence

• Fighting began in 1983, 60K have died

Tamils Want More Power

• Tamils wanted more power and fight for it

• 1993 – Assassinated Sinhalese president

• 1999 – Wounded next Sinhalese president

• Ceasefire declared 2002, but frequently broken by both sides

Kurds in the Middle East

• 1920’s a state of Kurdistan is formed

Post WWI

• Kurdistan becomes a part of Turkey– The teaching of the

Kurdish language in schools is banned until 1991

– Kurdish language remains banned in media broadcasts

– Turks want to promote Turkish nationalism among Kurds

Fight for a Homeland

• Kurds are spread out throughout the Middle East

15 million in Turkey

5 million in western Iran

4 million in northern Iraq

Kurds: SUNNI Muslims

Current Kurdish Situation

• A nation without a state

• Current situation in Iraq – control northern portions of Iraq (valuable oil area); are flying Kurdish flag instead of Iraqi flag– Under Saddam Hussein, Kurds were

massacred

Ethnic Cleansing

• When a more powerful ethnic group forcibly removes a less powerful one in order to create an ethnically homogenous region– Holocaust– Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo)– Rwanda

• Goal is not just to defeat, but to rid an area of an entire ethnicity so that surviving ethnic group will be the SOLE group

• Not just fighting among men -- involves women, children and elderly

The Fomer Yugoslavia• After WWII, created Yugoslavia out of a

mix of ethnicities who spoke similar South Slavic language (Yugo = “South” in Slavic)

• 1953 – 1980 - stability (submerged ethnic animosities)– Communist dictator

Joseph Tito keeps harmony

Ethnicities in YugoslaviaETHNICITIES

Red = Albanians

Green = Bulgarians

Orange = Croats

Green = Hungarians

Brown= Macedonians

Yellow = Montenegrans

Purple = Muslims

Green = Serbs

Purple = Slovaks

Lavendar = Slovenes

7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 in Yugoslavia

• Neighbors• Republics (Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia,

Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia)• Nationalities• Languages• Religions (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox &

Islam)• Alphabets (Roman and Cyrillic)• Currency (dinar)

Breakup of Yugoslavia• After Tito’s death, old animosities resurfaced

• In 1990s, move to 5 independent countries – Bosnia and

Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia, Yugoslavia

PROBLEMS! Ethnicities don’t match national lines exactly.

What happens?

• Yugoslavia abolished in 2002 and renamed Serbia and Montenegro– Serbs make up 2/3 of population– Dominate gov’t and economy

• Bosnian ethnic cleansing

• Kosovo ethnic cleansing

Bosnia

• Ethnic Makeup– 40% Muslim– 32% Serb– 18% Croat

• Serbs and Croats want to reunite with Serbia and Croatia

Resolution of the Bosnian Conflict

• 1996 – Dayton Accords– Divide Bosnia into 3 regions

• Serbs– Receive ½ the country though 1/3 of population

» Ethnic cleansing has “paid off”

• Croats– Receive ¼ of country though 1/6 of population

• Muslims– Receive ¼ of country though 44% of population before

ethnic cleansing

Kosovo

• Region in Serbia

• Ethnic makeup– 90% Albanian

Ethnic Cleansing in Kosovo• During Tito’s rule, Albanians were given autonomy in Kosovo• 1999 – Serbs take full control and undertake ethnic cleansing of

Albanians– Led by Slobodan Milosevic– Forced 750K of 2 million ethnic Albanians into refugee camps,

mostly in Albania

Resolution in Kosovo– NATO attacked Serbia in 1999 & stopped bombing

when Serbia withdrew soldiers from Kosovo– UN has been protecting Kosovo since– Independence scheduled in the next few

months– Milosevic put on trial for

genocide and “crimes against humanity”

– Dies in cell because of a

heart attack, March 2006

Balkanization =

The process by which a state breaks down due to ethnic conflict

• Led to WWI

• After communism,Balkans are “balkanizing” again

Rwanda

• Ethnic Divisions– Hutus (farmers)– Tutsis (herders, taller,

more “elegant,” lighter skin, thinner noses)

– BUT, no real difference between the ethnicities

- TODAY = 84% Hutu, 15% Tutsi• Colonizers created differences

– More power traditionally given to the Tutsis• Germany• Belgium

Rwanda’s Demography• Slightly smaller than

Maryland• BUT densely

populated– 7 million people– MD = 5.6 million

• Life expectancy = 48 years old; 2.7% of country is 65+

• 60% below poverty line

Rwanda History of Conflict

• 1962– Rwanda gains independence; Hutus kill Tutsis on a

massive scale so Hutu tribe gets new gov’t’s power (Tutsis flee)

• 1990-1993– Tutsis rebels, the Rwandan Patriotic Front, invades

Rwanda– Leads to 3 year civil war – Cease fire between Rwandan gov’t (Hutu) and RPF

(Tutsi) is signed; known as the Arusha Accords– UN peacekeepers arrive to support power transition

negotiated in Accords

Rwanda History of Conflict

• 1994 –– Plane goes down killing Rwandan president

(who signed the Arusha Accords)• Believed to be shot down by Hutu extremist• Within 24 hours, Prime Minister also murdered

along with 10 Belgium UN Peacekeepers

– Sparked 3 month slaughter of Tutsis• Rwandan Army (Hutus) and a Hutu militia known

as the Interahamwe• Kill Tutsis and “sympathizer” Hutus

International Response

• UN withdrew peacekeepers– Could not intervene b/c they were there to

KEEP peace, not MAKE peace

• Foreigners evacuated– Tourists– Embassy workers– Aid workers (though some stay – Red Cross)

• Genocide?– State Department trying to “define” legally

End of the Genocide

• Killings continue for 3 months– 800,000 killed in 100 days

• July 1994 – Killings end when the RPF (Tutsi militia) reignite civil war– Overthrow Hutu leaders– Take control of the country and capital (Kigali)

• Rwandan gov’t and Hutus flee over the border

Rwanda Now

• 1998 – Pres. Clinton apologizes

• Aug/Sept 2003 – held first presidential and legislative elections since genocide

• Tutsis still remain largely in power, which still complicates ethnic relations

• Hutu extremists exist across border lines, also involved in Dem. Repub. of Congo’s war

Congo• 1997 – Tutsis overthrow longtime leader Joseph Mobutu

– Ruled from 1965 to 1997– Africanized the country (Congo to Zaire)– Got wealthy off of natural resources

• While people starved

• Replaced with Laurent Kabila– Changes name back to Dem. Rep. of Congo

• Tutsis and Kabila split (and Kabila looks for support from Hutus and other countries)

• Leads to civil war/violent conflict/ethnic strife in country (1997 – 1999)– Rwanda, Uganda, Chad, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad,

and Sudan all involved

Congo Now

• Kabila assassinated in 2001• Oct 2002 – Rwandan forces withdraw

• July 2003 – Kabila’s son (Joseph) takes over

• Dec 2005 – held referendum on Constitution

• 2006 – more elections planned

Northern Ireland

• 1949– Ireland becomes independent

• Protestants (want to stay with Britain)

– North

• Catholics(want to unify all of Ireland)

– South

• Protestants– In Eng, Scot, Wales

Division of Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland

The 2 Sides

• Catholics – IRA (Irish Republican Army)• Protestants – UDF (Ulster Defense Force)

Northern Ireland Today

• 1999 - Power sharing agreement between 2 groups, with the help of Great Britain

• Still underlying tensions in the region

• “The Troubles”

Caucasus Region1991 – Fall of the Soviet Union

15 Soviet republics become independent nations

Estonia Latvia

Lithuania Belarus

Moldova Ukraine

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan

Azerbaijan Armenia

Georgia Russia

Caucasus: Many Ethnicities

Caucasus: Physical Boundaries

Russia v. Chechnya

• Russia = Eastern Orthodox, Russian language

• Chechnya = Sunni Muslims, Caucasian language

Chechen Independence

• 1991 – Chechnya declares

their independence

• Russia ignores for 3 years BUT…then becomes afraid that other groups will want independence– Also, values OIL and ECONOMIC benefits of

the region

Chechen Conflict Today

• Ongoing skirmishes and violence• 1997 - Chechens elect a president and Russia

recognized his government. But the issue of Chechnya's independence was not resolved.

• 1999 - Russia sent troops back in after Chechen militants crossed into the neighboring Muslim region of Dagestan in an unsuccessful attempt to start an armed uprising.

• 2004 – Chechen militants seizure of a school which resulted in more than 300 deaths.

• More Info: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3293441.stm

AzerbaijanCreated after the fall of the Soviet Union

90% is Azeri (green on map)

Fragmented State

Many Azeris in Iran with no political power

Armenia

• Created after the fall of the Soviet Union

• 90% of state is Armenian• At war since 1988

– Contested border with Azerbaijan

– Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan (area called Nagono-Karabakh)

• green circle on map; surrounded by blue

What are some similarities between all these conflicts?