Causes Of Conflict In African American Imperialism

When looking at the causes of conflict, it is necessary to look into the history and background of each area in order to fully understand the strife. In the late 1800’s, strong pushes for colonization of European countries pushed explorers to seek for new places that they could call their own. The European countries leading these expeditions quickly discovered that Africa was rich in vital resources, which made it very appealing for colonization. Most African areas were under a very week form of control, making it very easy for Europeans to step in with little resistance. Also following racial norms at the time, Europeans reassured themselves that the black people native to Africa needed white leadership to thrive. These factors lead to Europeans
Ever since Belgian control of the area, the group in power oppressed the group not in power. This caused a constant state of oppression in the country, meaning a small factor could easily ignite a larger problem. During Belgian control with a Tutsi government, the Hutu’s were living in bad conditions with little rights. The Belgian military also happened to have problems with the Tutsi government at the time, giving the Hutu’s the backing they needed to take action. This grievance suffered by the Hutu’s resulted in an overthrow of the Tutsi government, but also a change in oppression. Now the minority Tutsi people were oppressed, giving them grievance factors that built up over time. During the next few decades, the Tutsi’s had no say in the corrupt dictatorship, while still being oppressed. From this, many fled to neighboring Countries to relieve themselves from the brutality, only to band together again in a state of grievance. These Tutsi’s eventually formed the Rwandan Patriotic Front, and fought the Hutu’s for the same reason the Hutu’s fought them. Grievance can be pointed to as the predominant cause of conflict in the Rwandan Civil War, as well as in the pursuing Congo wars. In the Congo, a large flow of Hutu refugees proved to be a problem in the area, mainly because of the Congolese leader. Masked by all of the immigration, Mobutu took away citizenship and homes of
This is the case for both conflicts, having very few aspects related to greed and the majority related to grievance. The greed that can be seen through the Rwandan Civil War is related to the countries vast supply of minerals. Huge amounts of gold, diamonds, and copper are found in this region, which can be sold for a fortune. This causes greed both in an individual scale and on a government scale. On the individual scale, everyone wants to be a part of the wealth that can come from these minerals. This only becomes a problem when civilians are under such hardship that they cannot get the minerals they are seeking, as seen in Rwanda. The majority of these civilians eventually became refugees, having to leave the riches that they know are there. This leads into the large-scale aspect of the leaders wanting these riches as well. When the refugees fled into neighboring Uganda, one of the many things on their rise while starting an uprising was the riches that they could have. At the time, the Hutu’s were in control, receiving all of the money exploited through these minerals. Tutsi’s knew if they came into power through a revolt, these riches would be theirs, which pushed more reason for a