As stated in the UNESCO preamble, “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed”. This quote is the foundation for this work. My thesis demystifies the cycle of armed conflicts in Nigeria. I strongly believe that there is a need to positively transform the mindsets and ideologies that drive and fuel violent hostilities.
At every point in time in Nigeria, there is unrest ranging from election violence, quest for self-determinism, or tensions arising from ideological dissonances. This thesis investigates what triggers these hostilities, and further explores nonviolent, grassroots and people oriented conflict transformation approaches.
The historical, cultural and ethno-political complexity of Nigeria made this research a big challenge. For this study to be concrete, I explored some root-cause dynamics connected to armed conflicts in Nigeria. Obviously, armed conflicts are confrontations with the presence and the use of mobile and stationary weapons. This is why some scholars and experts argue that without weapons, armed conflict will not exist.
Thus, eliminating weapons is the ultimate solution for ending armed conflicts. This argument is the brain behind arms embargo treaties such as the ECOWAS Moratorium on Small and Light Weapons, and the Bamako Declaration. Nigeria ratified both treaties, and has further demonstrated commitment in several multilateral disarmament and non-proliferation initiatives.
This nexus between weapons availability and armed conflict is also the driving force behind demobilization and disarmament programs in Nigeria. The fundamental question here is, despite these acclaimed political and diplomatic endeavors on national, regional and international levels, why do armed conflicts still exist? My thesis unravels this missing puzzle.
Following this, the threefold research questions forthis study are as follows:
1. What internal and external factors facilitate incessant armed conflicts in Nigeria?
2. Why has previous conflict resolution or conflict management mechanisms proved to be ineffective?
3. Taking the aforementioned questions into consideration, what approaches could be deployed to transform the situation?
Table of Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 1
Chapter 1: Author’s Perspective ................................................................................................ 4
1.1 My Journey and Reflection in Retrospect........................................................................4
1.2 Embracing Plurality of Knowledge ................................................................................17
1.3 Research Interest...........................................................................................................20
1. 4 Methodological Framework .........................................................................................22
1.5 State of the Art..............................................................................................................25
Chapter 2: Defining and Conceptualizing .............................................................................28
2.1 Perceptions and Connotations of Conflict .....................................................................28
2.2 Violence: The Road to Conflict......................................................................................32
2.3 Defining Armed Conflicts ..............................................................................................34
Chapter 3: Contextualizing Armed Conflicts: The Case of Nigeria................................37
3.1 Situation Analysis..........................................................................................................37
3.1.1 Do Civil Wars create Cultures of Violent Conflicts?................................................39
3.1.2 Is the Niger Delta Conflict a Resource War?...........................................................42
3.1.3 Boko haram: Is Western Education the Problem? ..................................................55
3.2 The Dynamics of Weapons Availability .........................................................................66
3.3 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................71
Chapter 4: The Militarization and Wishing Away Approach..........................................73
4.1 The Trajectory of Armed Conflicts in Nigeria ................................................................73
4.2 Post Conflict Processes in Nigeria..................................................................................79
4.3 Conclusion: Looking Back to Move Forward .................................................................85
Chapter 5: Research Methods ...................................................................................................87
5.1 Literature Review as a Method......................................................................................87
5.1.1 Prescriptive and Elicitive Model .............................................................................88
5.1.2 Transition From Violence to Peace Cultures...........................................................95
5.1.3 Transrational Peace Philosophy............................................................................101
5.2 Discourse Analysis as a Method...................................................................................103
5.3 Conclusion: A Hands-on Approach..............................................................................107
Chapter 6: Peace and Conflict: Personal & Traditional Perspectives....................... 109
6.1 My Personal Perception of Peace and Conflict ............................................................109
6.2 Sociolingual and Native Cultures ................................................................................112
6.3 Traditional Dispute Settlement: Methods and Hierarchy ............................................116
6.4.Gender Perspective and Dispute Settlement................................................................120
6.5 Conclusion: Restitution and Reconciliation.................................................................123
Final Conclusions ....................................................................................................................... 124
Research Objectives and Themes
This thesis investigates the underlying causes and cyclical nature of armed conflicts in Nigeria, with the primary objective of formulating a holistic conflict transformation framework. It seeks to demystify why these conflicts persist despite various management attempts and explores how to move toward sustainable peace.
- The influence of history, colonial legacy, and political structures on conflict.
- Critique of existing international and governmental conflict resolution approaches.
- The impact of weapons availability and environmental factors on armed hostilities.
- The role of sociolingual and traditional cultural practices in local conflict mediation.
- Transitioning from cultures of violence to cultures of peace through transrational perspectives.
Book Excerpt
1.1 My Journey and Reflection in Retrospect
I am a Nigerian by origin, birth and citizenship. My country is blessed and endowed with human, environmental and natural resources. Just like many nation states in Africa, my beloved country has its own fair share of quandary with respect to violent conflicts. Nigeria has approximately 250 ethnic nationalities, and ethno-political dissonance is said to be the major cause of armed conflict. But how true is this, when there are uncountable cross-tribal and cross-religious marriages? If the family, which is the first point of socialization can transcend ethnic and religious differences, why is this a challenge in the society at large?
My father’s tribe is Kalabari, and my mother’s is Abua. The language, cuisine, rituals and many cultural elements of Kalabari and Abua are dissimilar. Both tribes are in Rivers State, a province in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. In my family, there has never been a time when cultural differences resulted to violent confrontation. Based on this experience, I believe that, people can coexist irrespective of multiplicity of ethno-political nationalities. In as much as I would love to live in this ideal type world, the reality is that there are numerous families and small societal units that propagate ethno-political and religious hatred.
Summary of Chapters
Chapter 1: Author’s Perspective: Discusses the author's personal experiences with identity and conflict in Nigeria, establishing the basis for her research through the lens of Transrational Peace Research.
Chapter 2: Defining and Conceptualizing: Explores legal and theoretical definitions of armed conflict, critiquing standardized international frameworks and their applicability to local realities.
Chapter 3: Contextualizing Armed Conflicts: The Case of Nigeria: Analyzes the specific history and variables of the Nigerian Civil War, the Niger Delta conflict, and Boko Haram, identifying common triggers.
Chapter 4: The Militarization and Wishing Away Approach: Evaluates current conflict resolution strategies in Nigeria, arguing that the focus on militarization often neglects root causes.
Chapter 5: Research Methods: Details the interdisciplinary research methodology, combining literature review with Comparative Discourse Analysis to construct a new transformation framework.
Chapter 6: Peace and Conflict: Personal & Traditional Perspectives: Examines indigenous methods of conflict resolution in Kalabari and Abua cultures and their potential for fostering sustainable peace.
Keywords
Armed Conflict, Nigeria, Conflict Transformation, Transrational Peace, Boko Haram, Niger Delta, Cultural Violence, Structural Violence, Indigenous Knowledge, Elicitive Model, Peacebuilding, Discourse Analysis, Post-colonialism, Reconciliation, Human Security.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this thesis?
The work focuses on understanding and demystifying the persistent cycle of armed conflicts in Nigeria through a holistic, grassroots-oriented lens rather than purely military perspectives.
What are the primary themes discussed in the work?
The thesis covers the influence of history on current conflicts, the critique of standardized international intervention models, the role of local culture in peacebuilding, and the transition from violent to peaceful societal structures.
What is the central research question?
The research addresses the factors facilitating incessant conflicts, the reasons for the failure of previous management mechanisms, and the identification of new, more effective approaches for transformation.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The author employs a "Comparative Discourse Analysis," integrating literature reviews of established peace studies models with her own experiences and qualitative insights from indigenous traditions.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main sections analyze the case studies of the Nigerian Civil War, the Niger Delta crisis, and Boko Haram, contrasting their drivers and exploring the limitations of government-led military interventions.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Armed Conflict, Conflict Transformation, Transrational Peace, Indigenous Knowledge, and Nigeria.
How does the author interpret the role of "Western Education" in the context of Boko Haram?
The author challenges the literal interpretation of the name "Boko Haram," suggesting that the conflict is not truly against education itself, but rather an ideological power struggle against values inconsistent with the group's extremist interpretation of Islam.
What is the significance of the "No victor, no vanquished" policy?
The author argues that while this proclamation intended to promote reconciliation after the Civil War, it ultimately failed because it remained a political gesture and lacked a substantive grassroots plan for emotional and social healing.
What are the "Five Peace Families" according to Wolfgang Dietrich?
Dietrich identifies the energetic, the moral, the modern, the postmodern, and the transrational as paths to understanding peace, which the author synthesizes to build her framework.
How does the author propose resolving conflicts in Nigeria?
She advocates for a shift toward grassroots-oriented approaches that prioritize indigenous mediation practices, emphasize the "relational web" of affected parties, and foster sincere reconciliation rather than just the absence of direct violence.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Joy Alasia (Autor:in), 2015, Demystifying the cycle of armed conflicts in Nigeria. A holistic healing approach, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/310957
