Events like the Owo tragedy have become commonplace in Africa's most populous country. According to stats obtained from SBM Intelligence, a notable geopolitical research consultancy based in Lagos, about 896 Nigerians have been killed in violent attacks across the country in 2022 alone.
Unfortunately, Nigeria is not the only African country where wide-spread violence is taking place. In recent times, Ethiopia has been in the news a lot, albeit for all the wrong reasons. At a point in 2021, the Horn of Africa country was reportedly at risk of being completely destablised due to armed conflict. Although there has been considerable de-escalation in recent months, the Ethiopian conflict has yet to abate.
Indeed, there are many conflict hotspots across the African continent. Whether it be insurgency, militancy, outright terrorism or full-blown war, many African countries are grabbling with various forms of conflicts. Sadly, these wars and conflicts continue to be a major cause of poverty in Africa, according to findings by SOS Children's Villages International.
Highlighted below are the five conflict hotspots in Africa. This list is presented in no particular order of priority.
1. The Ethiopian Conflict
Since 2017, there have been quite a number of active conflicts and secluded killings across Ethiopia. At this point, it has become almost difficult to keep count of all the deaths. In 2021, the conflicts seemed to have heightened following a military offensive against the Tigray Region by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government.
As you may already know. the conflict between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces began after the ruling party requested that the country's election board should cancel an already scheduled 2020 general election, in view of the health risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The request was vehemently opposed by the Tigrayans, who went ahead to organised elections for their region. Apparently, the Ethiopian government perceived this as some sort of secessionist had chosen to exercise absolute powers to maintain the territorial integrity of the country.
Between November 2020 and now, both the military and Tigrayan forces have fought actively. In late 2021, there were invasion threats on the capital city of Addis Ababa. And in response, many Western countries advised their citizens to evacuate, even as some international companies temporarily suspended operation and flew out some of their staff.
Ethiopia is a very important country in Africa. It is considered the only African country that was never colonised. It is also Africa's second most populous country besides Nigeria. More so, the headquarters of the Africa Union is located there. So, it is very important to resolve the conflict before it gets out of hands.
Unlike the media spotlight on the Ethiopian conflict, the ongoing civil war in Cameroon doesn't really get a lot of media reportage. And that is mainly due to the government's alleged efforts to hide the carnage from the rest of the world. This notwithstanding, the truth remains that Southern Cameroon has been in turmoil for many months now. There have been allegations of genocide, rape and other atrocities as the government forces continue to battle separatists in Anglophone territories of Ambazonia.
3. Terrorism, banditry and secessionist agitations in Nigeria
For years, Boko Haram terrorists have been terrorising Northern Nigeria. They went from burning places of worship to kidnapping school children and then amassing territories and displacing many people in the process. And then they were incidents of armed herdsmen who often clashed with farmers over destruction of farmlands by cows.
However, as of 2022 the biggest challenge has been that of kidnappings and coordinated violent attacks. Back in March this year, a train heading from Kaduna to Abuja was bombed, with many passengers shot and killed on sight even as dozens were kidnapped. Many of those kidnapped as still in captivity till date.
Interestingly, both the terrorists and bandits have been fingered as responsible for this trend. And no one is spared from their attacks; from innocent secondary school children in their boarding schools to universities and of course travelers on the dangerous highways crisscrossing the country.
Meanwhile, in the Eastern part of the country, secessionists have burnt police stations and election offices as part of their agitation. It has really been a difficult year of conflicts for Nigeria. And this has resulted in serious economic woes, especially for the average Nigerians who have been impacted directly.
4. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
For years, the DRC has hardly known any peace of peace. It's been one conflict or the other since the first and second civil wars were fought between 1996 and 2003. The conflicts have been fueled by agitations for political control and natural resources.
Just last week, Business Insider Africa reported on the possibility of tension between the DRC and Rwanda, all resulting from the years-long conflict in the central African country.
5. Terrorism in Mozambique
This country in Southern Africa has had a pretty rough year. So many factors, including terrorism natural disaster, have combined to kill hundreds and displaced nearly one million people, even as millions more have been at risk of famine. Earlier in the year, the United Nations said Mozambique is facing a humanitarian catastrophe “beyond epic proportions.”
