It can also be said to be an incompatibility, as of two things that cannot be simultaneously fulfilled. Land conflicts within one country will then occur at either the interpersonal or innersocietal level. Land rights and conflict in africa the washington post. Zimbabwe is not the only country in africa where the issue of land is of crucial importance. The aim of this paper is to interrogate and analyse the nature, extent and causes of land conflicts in subsaharan africa taking botswana as a case study.
Good land governance is cited as critical to achieving agenda 2063, particularly goals related. Landrelated conflicts in subsaharan africa african. We estimate the determinants of land conflicts and their impacts on input application. A vital resource in order to understand land disputes in africa, and why they can serve as a critical driver of violent conflict, it is important to recognize the centrality of land in most african societies. Conflicts exercise introduction recent years have seen many regions of africa involved in war and internal or external conflict, from the seven or so countries directly involved in the democratic republic of congo drc to the sierra leone crisis and the. Land tenure reforms and persistence of land conflicts in. Pdf african union, conflict, and conflict resolution in. The overall objective is to uncover the narratives of land conflicts in africa and narrow the focus to the kenyan context. The aim of the study is to investigate the conflicts existing between the two religions since the introduction of christianity in igbo land, the nature, the pattern, and the rationale of the conflicts. Land tenure in much of africa is usually portrayed as either customarytraditional, or statestatutory. Conflicts and causes of conflicts in africa project.
Intercommunity conflicts in east africa the purpose of this report is to provide a detailed overview of the current status of minority groups in relation to naturalresource conflict in east africa, specifically examining kenya, uganda, and south sudans jonglei state. Inequality and social conflict over land in africa usaid natural. The paper aims to explore and analyse the impact of land related conflicts issues in africa and its effects on the environment. Land conflicts and southern africas new narratives. Ecaafdb land policy initiative lpi in the past two years on land, ethnicity and conflict in africa. Land is the object of competition in a number of potentially overlapping ways. Guidelines on land policy in africa identified a number of key land issues and challenges. Pretoria, iss conference land and human security in africa, 3031. Conflicts and causes of conflicts in africa project topics. The relationship between land rights, ethnicity, and violence in africa is complicated and we cant fix national conflicts without understanding their local causes.
Largescale land acquisitions and social conflict in africa. Introduction and in tanzania as throughout much of africa is a primary asset for survival and a. Understanding, preventing and solving land conflicts. Much discussion has taken place with regard to the importance of land in. This paper examines african conflicts and the roles of the african union au in conflict resolution, focusing on the recent zimbabwe and kenya conflicts. Land conflicts and southern africas new narratives since zimbabwes fasttrack land reform. To minimise and ultimately eliminate land conflicts in botswana and other countries in subsaharan africa, it is imperative that future reforms adopt a bottomup and inclusive approach. Presumably then, the conflicts are a unique mix of these similarities and differences. In uganda, land disputes are the most significant form of conflict, with many escalating into violence. Resource conflicts over arable land in food insecure states. In buganda, land is the way of life as the kingdoms cultural. Landrelated conflicts in subsaharan africa african journals online. Introduction struggles over territory are recognized to be the most pervasive form of conflicts and the largest category of causes of interstate wars as well as intrastate conflicts richardson 1960.
Conflicts over land are a major problem to the management of lands in ghana. Two african experts specialists of social sciences with a focus on land issues and natural resource management one for west africa, one for east and southern. In this rapidly changing world it is essential to understand that conflicts are unique and understanding a conflict is the first step on the path to addressing it. Land rights and land conflicts in africa carried out for the danish. Africa, i particularly welcome the problemsolving and assistance oriented approach. Land rights and land conflicts in africa carried out for the danish ministry of foreign affairs and coordinated by. It however must be noted as well that africa has the highest rates of urbanization in the.
This has greatly influenced the socioeconomic and political positions of different groups of people. We find that widows are about percent more likely to experience pending land conflicts when their parcels are registered under the names of their. Impact of wars and conflicts on africas socio economic development the unending political tensions, wars and conflicts in the continent have had. The resolution of land related conflicts is key to promoting sustainable development and attaining peace and security in subsaharan africa. Examining land conflicts in africa is a challenging task, as the contexts in which they take place are continuously changing, so altering the nature of the conflicts themselves. This article shows that there are various types of land conflicts in subsaharan africa. Current conflicts in africa 2020 and examples information. Customary land tenure is characterised by its largely unwritten nature, is based on local practices and norms, and is flexible. Resource based conflicts and political instability in. The resolution of landrelated conflicts is key to promoting sustainable development and attaining peace and security in subsaharan africa. Because kenya has one of the most advanced land titling systems in africa, the findings from this country will provide valuable lessons to other african countries. There is a great deal of excellent research in social sciences anthropology, geography, history, sociology, economics, human ecology, and political science on conflicts over access to land and water resources in africa.
Africans have been blessed with the abundance of land, though the situation has changed drastically over the decades due. We find that widows are about percent more likely to experience pending land conflicts. This situation has resulted in numerous land conflicts, and in most subsaharan countries the land question and past inequalities remain unresolved. Conflict can be defined as a clash or disagreement often violent between opposing groups or individuals. Conflict land and water food and agriculture organization. The historical origin of the igbo is not yet certain because. Land and conflict prevention global protection cluster. To have few resources at the disposal of a colossal number of people is to direct the emergence of poverty, just as ghandi of india put it. Consequently, land conflicts have raged on between state institutions and the poor or those who feel left behind. We estimate the determinants of land conflicts and their impacts on input application in kenya by using a recent survey of 899 rural households. The most recent violence in kenya has roots in a complex mixture of ethnic conflict, economic exigencies related to climate change, and national and local politics. Marshall 2005 page 1 of 28 african regional trends in warfare and political instability the modern state system in subsaharan african1 hereafter referred to simply as africa is relatively new. Land conflicts are most prevalent in the central region, a report has said.
Libyan civil war 2014date this is the second civil war in libya and it is an ongoing conflict among rival factions who are seeking to take control of the territory and crude oil of libya. The study has attempted to assess the role of local governance in rural land conflict management in relation to transparency and accountability. Competition over land and its resources is at the center of the nexus between land and conflict. Land disputes crop up throughout uganda, with the greatest number of disputes arising in northern uganda districts, some parts of hoima and amuru district where oil has. Land conflicts can have disastrous effects on individuals as well as on groups and even entire nations.
Because of changes in some underlying factors, land is increasingly becoming a source of conflicts in africa. Europe, and north america have looked towards africa and southeast asia for opportunities to lease for 3050 years large tracts of arable land for production of commodity crops and biofuels in order to meet the needs of home markets. The paper proposes that reports of pervasive competition and conflict over land in subsaharan africa belie a current image of negotiable and adaptive. Pdf land inequality and conflict in subsaharan africa. Africa, ethiopia, land conflicts, land reform, land registration and certification, farm border conflicts. Impact of land registration and certification on land. Index terms farmerherder conflicts, land tenure, land policy, tanzania. To support the peaceful resolution of land conflicts, search for common ground is partnering with the ministry of foreign affairs of the netherlands on the project strengthen citizen participation on critical social issues to prevent land conflict in the great lakes region of africa. Africa, i particularly welcome the problemsolving and assistanceoriented approach. It is also being torn apart due to resources such as diamonds and offshore oil, with. Conflicts between african traditional religion and. North africa was a crucial combat zone during both wars.
Across africa, conflicts over land have been at the heart of. Pdf landrelated conflicts in africa georgina nabwire. In the long term, land conflicts can only be resolved and avoided if addressed by an integral and systemoriented approach. Land disputes are widespread in uganda, affecting 33%2 to 50%3 of landholders. The conclusion identifies potential gaps in the literature on land questions in kenya and directions for future research. By charles peter mayiga land is the most important asset in most parts of the world that people can own, including in uganda. The general objective of this study is to assess and understand the role and contribution of the local land governance structures and institutions to the management of the diverse rural land conflicts. Furthermore, land conflicts are generally influenced by a range of complex and interrelated factors. Customary land tenure in africa is characterized by flexibility and capacity to continuously adapt to changing socioeconomic, political and environmental conditions. Dominant lines of inquiry into land questions in africa. This situation has resulted in numerous land conflicts, and in. Using data on lslas from land matrix and data on conflict from the.
The study on the uganda national land use policy indicated that land conflicts were mainly caused by the predominance of. Angola, which has seen an estimated 500,000 people killed since 1989 and an estimated 3 million refugees. There have recently been numerous civil wars and conflicts going in africa, some of which are still going on, including. What is needed is a work of syntheses in order to highlight the main regularities characterising conflict generation and types. While questions traditionally related to land such as scarcity of and competition for. Specifically, the article reveals that it is important to realise that land reform is essential for the empowerment of historically disadvantaged people and communities, and successful development more. Pdf land conflicts between pastoralists and farmers in. Before tackling conflicts in africa one should first consider conflict in general. Recently, these longsimmering conflicts have resulted in significant violence.
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