Which conflicts are ethnic and which conflicts are protracted?
Mauritania (ethnic, protracted)
Government of Mauritania against Polisario; Senegalese against Mauritanian
Guinea (ethnic)
The Rally of Democratic Forces of Guinea fights against the government of Guinea-Bisau.
Mali (ethnic, protracted)
This is an ethnic conflict occurring for a long period of time. Conflict in Mali involves a number of ethnic groups and the conflict has become protracted. The government of Mali fights several ethnic groups, including governments of neighboring countries. These groups include the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia/Union of Islamic Courts (ARS/UIC), North Mali Tuareg Alliance for Change, Government of Somalia; factions like Malinke, the MNLF – HM (Moro National Liberation Front – Habier Malik faction), among others.
Algeria (ethnic, protracted)
The conflict is between several ethnic groups like AIS, AQIM, GIA, Jund al-Khilafah, MUJAO, and Takfir wa’l Hijra, Algeria against Islamic State.
Niger (ethnic, protracted)
Groups are fighting against each other, and the government. This includes Black Axe, Bush Boys, Debam, KK, NDV (Be Strong, Black Axe, Bush Boys, Klansmen Konfraternity, Niger Delta Vigilantes). Also involved are Christians, Federation of Niger Delta Ijaw Communities (FNDIC).
Nigeria (ethnic, protracted)
Several groups are fighting against the government. Groups include Christians, Muslims, Supporters of Action Congress of Nigeria, and Supporters of All Nigeria People’s Party. Governments of neighboring countries are also involved. This is a protracted, ethnic war.
Libya (ethnic, protracted)
Government of Libya fights against ethnic groups like Benghazi Revolutionaries Shura Council (Ansar al-Sharia Libya), Forces of the House of Representatives (Libyan National Army, and Libya Dawn. Other governments area also helping some groups.
Chad (ethnic)
This is an ethnic conflict. The Government of Chad is fighting against groups like the Chadian Armed Forces, Chad National Front, Movement for Democracy and Justice, Clandestine Chadian Resistance.
Cameroon (ethnic, protracted)
Cameroon conflict is a conflict against the government several groups. The government of Nigeria is also involved. This is a protracted conflict.
Central African Republic (protracted)
The government is fighting against the Popular Front for the Rebirth of the Central African Republic. This is a protracted conflict.
Sudan/South Sudan (ethnic, protracted)
The government of South Sudan is fighting against several groups like the South Sudan Democratic Movement/Army – Cobra Faction, South Sudan Defence Movement, among others.
Democratic Republic of the Congo (ethnic, protracted)
This is an ethnic and protracted conflict as some groups are fighting against the government.
Egypt (ethnic)
This is an ethnic conflict, but not protracted. Some Muslim groups of Egypt fought against the government.
Uganda (ethnic, protracted)
Several groups are fighting against each other and the government, including the Former Uganda National Army, Democratic Christian Army, Uganda Freedom Movement, among others.
Jordan (ethnic)
Several groups were protesting against the rule of King Abdullah II (the Arab Spring). It is ethnic because the groups were asking for the end of the Hashemite monarchy.
Syria (ethnic, protracted)
Government forces, with the help of other government forces, have been fighting against the Islamic State (Isis), and several other groups like the Free Syrian Army, Front for the Conquest of the Levant, FSA Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (Nusra), among others.
Iraq (ethnic, protracted)
The government is fighting against groups like IS (Dawlat al-‘Iraq al-Islamiyya), KDP (Kurdish Democratic Party of Iraq, IKP-QM (Kurdish Democratic Party of Iraq-Provincial Command), among others.
Saudi Arabia (ethnic)
The government is fighting against one group, the JSM.
Ethiopia (ethnic, protracted)
Government forces are fighting against several groups like the Ethiopian Democratic Union (EDU), Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement (EPDM), among others.
Kenya (ethnic, protracted)
The government of Kenya is fighting against Al-Shabaab and other ethnic groups and a military faction.
Somalia (ethnic, protracted)
The government of Somalia is fighting against several groups like the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia/Union of Islamic Courts, Puntland state of Somalia, Republic of Somaliland, among others.
Yemen (ethnic, protracted)
Groups wanting to take hold of power are fighting against the government of Yemen.
Turkey (ethnic)
The government of Turkey is fighting against groups like the Devrimci Sol, MKP, PKP, which are seeking independence.
Russian Federation (ethnic)
Azerbaijan (ethnic, protracted)
Afghanistan (ethnic, protracted)
Pakistan (ethnic, protracted)
India (ethnic)
Bangladesh (ethnic, protracted)
India (ethnic)
Myanmar (ethnic, protracted)
Philippines (ethnic, protracted)
Papua New Guinea (ethnic, protracted
Colombia (ethnic, protracted)
United States (protracted)
Mexico (ethnic)
Guatemala (ethnic, protracted)
Tanzania (ethnic)
Why are these conflicts ethnic and/or protracted?
Conflict involves the relations among individuals or groups in society, and an ongoing struggle between individuals and groups (Aydin 2007).
Ethnic conflict is conflict between an ethnic group against the state or another ethnic group. Sometimes it becomes protracted if it is fought for a long period of time. Demands for national self-determination by ethnic groups to establish an independent state, or homogeneous nation-state, is one of the important reasons.
Domestic violence in the form of secessionist and irredentist movements can lead to struggle to united kin under a single state. Domestic violence originates in ethnic differences with the potential to spread across international borders. Ethnic conflict occurs frequently and often deadly, as can be seen in the UCDP website. Accordingly, one half of the countries in the world have experienced ethnic conflict since World War II (Inat, cited in Aydin 2007)
Protracted conflicts are ‘hostile interactions which extend over long periods of time with sporadic outbreaks of open warfare fluctuating in frequency and intensity’ (Cowan 2007, p. 7).
What kind of criteria did you use to classify them as ethnic or protracted or both?
The criteria used in identifying whether ethnic or protracted are definition of the terms and how they are being fought. For example, if a group of several groups are fighting a government for independence or against another ethnic group, it is ethnic conflict. It becomes protracted if it is occurring for several years, according to the definition.
Do you think the name protracted is useful one?
The term protracted can be useful in the sense that it identifies conflicts which are unique. Protracted conflicts have common, identifying characteristics which can be found in non-protracted conflicts, but can provide a framework for defining protracted conflicts. One distinct characteristic is that it is temporal in nature. Protracted conflicts are lengthy, but the exact length of time cannot be identified. Commonly, protracted conflicts may last for one or more generations (Coleman, cited in Cowan 2007). Another feature of protracted conflicts is that there tends to be some fluctuation of intensity over the course of the conflict. There can be a range of intensity levels throughout the conflict, from open hostility and warfare to cooperation.
References
Aydin, Y 2007, From conflict to violence: why ethnic conflicts become violent, PhD Thesis, The University of Manitoba, viewed 3 February 2017, <http://ezproxy.sothebysinstitute.com:2195/dissertations/docview/304402396/fulltextPDF/28085ED094A84B57PQ/1?accountid=13957>.
Cowan, G 2007, An examination of international crises: the effect of decision maker stress on crisis management, attributes, and outcomes in non-protracted conflict and protracted conflict crises, PhD Thesis, University of Oklahoma, viewed 3 February 2017, <http://ezproxy.sothebysinstitute.com:2195/dissertations/docview/304836366/fulltextPDF/F8B5F80229D643ABPQ/4?accountid=13957>.
