Social Conflicts and the Politics of Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

This chapter examines the relationship between the presence of vertical and horizontal inequalities and the emergence of social conflicts in Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, the Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Somalia and South Africa. Reasons for greed and grievance (Collier and Hoeffler 2004) are investigated, as are the driving loyalty-enhancing strategies with associated social pacifying goals. The aim is an understanding of what the modalities are that have resulted from the emergence of social conflicts during the last two decades and what the main governments’ responses have been in terms of politics of inequality. What kind of social pacifying strategies (divide and conquer, divide and pacify, unify and conquer and unify and pacify) have governments and political leaders in these countries implemented in order to calm the masses? Can the voices of dissent of citizens be successfully reduced through redistributive social policies so as to increase their loyalty to the system and, thus, limit their options for exit and protest (Hirschman 1970, 1978)? Are ethnic or religious reasons alone responsible for the emergence of social conflict? If not, what other factors play an equally determining role (e.g. colonial legacies, structure of the economy, regime type and welfare institutions) in structuring and determining in-group- and out-group-related tension? These are the key questions that this chapter addresses.