Pragmatic and Promiscuous: Explaining the Rise of Competitive Political Militias across Africa

Across African states, militias have become one of the main agents of political violence, accounting for a third of all recent conflict. Militia violence is attributed to cultural reactions to disorder, failing and predatory states, and local cleavages which emerge during civil wars. However, activi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of conflict resolution 2016-03, Vol.60 (2), p.283-310
Main Author: Raleigh, Clionadh
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africa
Armed conflict
Civil war
Civil wars
Class
Competition
Conflict
Conflict resolution
Democracy
Democratization
Elites
Governance
Incentives
Militia groups
Militias
Patrons
Political elites
Political patronage
Political power
Political violence
Politics
Power
Segmentation
Social classes
Studies
Typological analysis
Typology
Violence
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Summary:Across African states, militias have become one of the main agents of political violence, accounting for a third of all recent conflict. Militia violence is attributed to cultural reactions to disorder, failing and predatory states, and local cleavages which emerge during civil wars. However, activity largely occurs in democratizing states without civil wars. This article presents a typology of militias based on their local roles and actions and an explanation for the prevalence of "competition militias." Changes in macro politics ushered in a new era of conflict and fragmentation among political elites; militias operate as private armies for these elites. The goal of this violence is to alter the political landscape, increase power for patrons, protect supportive communities, and hinder opponents. Incentives within African democratic institutions reward the use of force by elites. As a result, African democracies, and states transitioning into democracy, are not likely to be internally peaceful. Futhermore, the dominant type of conflict across African states shifts to accommodate the goals of violent agents within modern political contexts.
ISSN:0022-0027
1552-8766
DOI:10.1177/0022002714540472