Key Issue #3: Why Do Ethnicities Clash?
• Ethnic Competition to Dominate Nationality
– Big problem in Sub-Saharan Africa (Horn of Africa & Central
Africa)
• Ethnic Competition in the Horn of Africa
– Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, & Somalia (and neighboring Sudan &
South Sudan)
– Ethiopia & Eritrea
• Eritrea – Italian colony 1890-1945 (along Red Sea)
• Ethiopia – independent until captured by Italy in 1930s (ruled until 1945)
• Eritrea was given to Ethiopia by UN after WWII – expected to give some
autonomy but Ethiopia dissolved legislature & banned language
• 1961-1991 – civil war, many fled to Sudan, emperor Haile Selassie
• 1993 – Eritrea became a new country; 1998 – fight over location of
border
• Eritrea – 5 million; ½ Christian, ½ Muslim (9 major ethnic groups); sense
of national loyalty & fight against Ethiopia are sources of unity
• Ethiopia – still multi-ethnic; Amharans (Christians) in power until 1990s
and in the center; Oromo (Muslim fundamentalists) are largest (40%)
group and found in south; Tigres (Christians) in north
Key Issue #3: Why Do Ethnicities Clash?
• Ethnic Competition in the Horn of Africa
– Sudan
• 40 million people – civil war since 1980s
– Black Christians & animists in South
– Arab Muslims in north – attempted to dominate the country
• Segregation by gender, no perfume/jewelry, women fully covered,
must be with a male relative, streetlights to avoid “sneaking
around”
• 2 million (5%) died in civil war, many migrated to south or north or
to Ethiopia
• 2005 agreement for autonomy in south (South Sudan became a
country in July 2011)
• Ethnic war in Darfur began as civil war died down (western Sudan)
– Black Africans (farmers) rebelled
– Muslim nomads (jangaweed) & Sudanese military crushed rebellion;
450,000 killed; 2.5 million in refugee camps in Sudan or surrounding
countries such as Chad
Key Issue #3: Why Do Ethnicities Clash?
• Ethnic Competition in the Horn of Africa
– Somalia
• Mostly Sunni and speak Somali
• 9 million people in 6 clans (as well as sub-clans)
• In north – Isaak (took control of north in 1991), Darod (ruled until
1991), Dir
• In south – Digil, Hawiye (took control of south in 1991),
Rahanwayn
• Somalia (Italian southern colony) & Somaliland (British northern
colony) combined in 1960 as independent country
• Isaaks declared independent state of Somaliland – not recognized;
have 20% of land and 40% of people
• U.S. sent supplies and troops in 1992 after 300,000 died from
famine & civil war – withdrew in 1994 as peace talks fell apart
(Black Hawk Down)
• Islamic militias took control in 2006 – more order than warring
clans, but more supportive of terrorists
• Somali pirates in Gulf of Aden and Red Sea and Indian Ocean
Key Issue #3: Why Do Ethnicities Clash?
• Ethnic Competition in Lebanon
– 4 million in 10,000 sq. km (4,000 sq. miles)
– Once recreational & financial center of Middle East (capital of
Beirut once called “Paris of the Middle East”)
– 60% Muslim (1/2 Shia, 1/2 Sunni); 30% Christian (2/3 Maronite,
1/6 Greek Orthodox); 7% Druze (combine Islam & Christianity);
3% other
– 1943 – independence; each religion was supposed to be
represented in government (was a Christian majority, now a
Muslim majority); Beirut divided in eastern (Christian) &
western (Muslim) zones
– 1975 civil war among religious groups; officially ended in 199091; conflict still persists though
– U.S. & Israeli intervention failed in 1983
– Syria tried to control until 2005 when they were forced out;
Israel intervened in 2006
– Hezbollah – terrorist group with ties to Shias; backed by Iran
Key Issue #3: Why Do Ethnicities Clash?
• Dividing Ethnicities Among More Than One State
– Hard to completely segregate ethnicities when creating
new countries
– Dividing South Asia
• British colony from 1800s until 1947
• Divided into:
– India (part of India nearly cut off by Bangladesh) - Hindu
– West Pakistan (now Pakistan) – Muslim
– East Pakistan (became independent Bangladesh in 1971) – Muslim
• East & West Pakistan were one country but separated by India
• Fighting between groups over South Asia for over 1000 years
• Assassination of Gandhi in 1948 – Hindu who believed in
nonviolence and reconciliation with Muslims
• Forward capital – Pakistan moved its capital city to Islamabad to
be have greater control near the conflict region of Kashmir
Key Issue #3: Why Do Ethnicities Clash?
• Dividing Ethnicities Among More Than One State
– Forced Migration in South Asia
• Boundaries between religions are not exact
• About 17 million on wrong side in 1947
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6 million Muslims from India to West Pakistan
1 million Muslims from India to East Pakistan
6 million Hindus from West Pakistan to India
3.5 million Hindus from East Pakistan to India
Violence as extremists from both sides attacked refugees
Sikhs migrated from West Pakistan to India (division of Punjab)
– Ethnic Disputes
• Boundary dispute in Kashmir (mountainous northern region)
between India & Pakistan
– “Line of Control” for Kashmir established in 1972
– Muslim majority on both sides – use guerilla warfare to unite with
Pakistan or create own country of Kashmir
– 25 million Sikhs not given own country – preferred India to Pakistan;
extremists have fought for independence in Punjab
Key Issue #3: Why Do Ethnicities Clash?
• Dividing Sri Lanka Among Ethnicities
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Once the British colony of Ceylon until 1948
Island off SE coast of India
20 million people – Sinhalese vs. Tamils
Sinhalese – 74%, southern Sri Lanka, Buddhist, speak language
in Indo-Iranian branch of Indo-European, migrated from India in
5th century BC
Tamils – 18%, northern Sri Lanka, Hindu, speak a Dravidian
language, migrated from India in 3rd century BC
Fought for over 2,000 years but not during British rule
Civil war began in 1983 – 60,000 or more have died
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam – rebel Tamil group; responsible
for assassinating president of Sri Lanka in 1993; defeated in
2009
Sinhalese dominate country; Tamils feel discriminated against
Cease-fire since 2002 but violence still common
Exporter of tea, coffee, cinnamon, and coconuts
Key Issue #3: Why Do Ethnicities Clash?
• Kurds – a stateless nation (an ethnic group without a self-governing
country of its own but has desire for self rule)
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Sunni Muslim, Indo-Iranian language
Former country of Kurdistan taken by Turkey
30 million Kurds
14 mil in Turkey, 6 mil in Iran, 5 mil in Iraq, & 2 mil in Syria
Have tried to rebel in Turkey, Iran, & Iraq unsuccessfully
Saddam Hussein tested chemical weapons against Kurdish rebels
Kurds persecuted by ISIS/ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq & Greater Syria) –
refugees trying to flee to Turkey
• Other examples of stateless nations:
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Sindhis, Sikhs, Kashmiri in Pakistan/India
Tamils in Sri Lanka
Chechens, Circassians, Tatars in Russia
Uyghurs, Tibetans in China
Quebecois in Canada
Acehnese in Indonesia
Shan, Hmong, and Rohingya in SE Asia
Assyrians in Turkey/Iran/Iraq/Syria
Occitans, Basques in France/Spain