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Prof. MarkAnthony Nze
Sectarianism, Conflict, and Violence – Religion as a Catalyst
Across Africa, religion’s potent influence on societal structures and identities is undeniable. Historically, religious beliefs and institutions have played significant roles in shaping community cohesion, morality, and social order. However, religion’s inherent power to unify has a darker, more troubling parallel: its demonstrated capacity to fuel sectarian divisions, provoke conflict, and instigate violence. Throughout the continent’s recent history, organized religion, when intertwined with political agendas, ethnic tensions, and socio-economic inequalities—has often served as a powerful catalyst for destabilization, conflict, and enduring cycles of violence.
The paradox of religion as both unifier and divider arises primarily from its capacity to forge potent group identities. Religious affiliation, perhaps more so than ethnicity or nationality, profoundly shapes personal and collective identities across Africa, creating clear demarcations of “us” versus “them.” Under conditions of economic distress, political instability, or social uncertainty, these religious identities frequently become politicized and weaponized, transforming religion from a source of solace and community into a tool for exclusion, suspicion, and conflict.
The Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria exemplifies this devastating phenomenon vividly. Established in 2002 and intensifying dramatically after 2009, Boko Haram—literally translated as “Western education is forbidden”—has leveraged radical interpretations of Islamic doctrine to justify an extensive campaign of violence across northeastern Nigeria and the Lake Chad basin, including Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. Between 2009 and 2023, the insurgency has been responsible for over 40,000 deaths and has displaced approximately 2.5 million people, creating one of Africa’s most severe humanitarian crises. Although religion alone does not fully explain Boko Haram’s rise, the group’s ideology explicitly utilizes Islamic rhetoric to justify its violence and mobilize recruits, underscoring religion’s dangerous potential when manipulated politically and ideologically.
Similarly, in East Africa, the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab continues to threaten regional stability profoundly. Originating in Somalia around 2006 as an offshoot of the Islamic Courts Union, Al-Shabaab adopted an extreme interpretation of Islamic law as justification for a brutal campaign to overthrow Somalia’s internationally recognized government and establish a religiously based governance structure. The group has executed attacks beyond Somalia’s borders, notably the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya (2013), resulting in over 70 fatalities, and the Garissa University massacre in Kenya (2015), where 148 predominantly Christian students were brutally killed. By framing their violent actions within religious narratives, Al-Shabaab exploits religious identity for mobilization and justification, significantly exacerbating regional insecurity.
Moreover, sectarian violence between Christian and Muslim communities remains a recurring source of instability throughout the continent, notably in the Central African Republic (CAR). In the CAR, sectarian violence intensified dramatically following a 2013 rebellion led by the predominantly Muslim Seleka alliance. The ensuing conflict saw a spiral of retaliatory violence between Seleka and predominantly Christian anti-Balaka militias, leading to widespread atrocities. According to United Nations figures, between 2013 and 2020, the CAR conflict resulted in over 6,000 deaths and displaced approximately one million people, roughly one-fifth of the nation’s population. Although underlying economic and political grievances initially drove the conflict, religious identities rapidly became the primary lens through which communities divided, fueling ongoing mistrust, revenge killings, and extensive humanitarian suffering.
Sudan’s prolonged civil wars similarly demonstrate religion’s role in fueling enduring conflicts. Historically, religious differences between the predominantly Muslim north and predominantly Christian and animist south underpinned prolonged hostilities lasting nearly four decades, from 1955 until South Sudan’s independence in 2011. These conflicts caused over two million deaths and displaced more than four million people, devastating entire communities and severely hampering development. Even after separation, South Sudan continues to experience sectarian violence along religious and ethnic lines, indicating religion’s persistent role as both cause and catalyst in ongoing instability.
It is essential to acknowledge that religion itself rarely causes violence independently. Instead, violence emerges when religious identity intersects critically with political exclusion, socio-economic inequalities, and systemic injustice. Across Africa, marginalized groups frequently rally around religious identities as a source of communal solidarity, leading to intensified sectarian divisions and violence when political or economic tensions escalate. In Nigeria’s Middle Belt, notably Kaduna and Plateau states, long-standing tensions between predominantly Muslim Fulani herders and predominantly Christian farming communities are often portrayed simplistically as religious clashes. However, underlying these tensions are deeper issues of land scarcity, political marginalization, and socio-economic competition, which are intensified and legitimized through religious rhetoric. Between 2010 and 2022, violence in these regions has claimed more than 10,000 lives, displaced hundreds of thousands, and disrupted agricultural production significantly, thereby highlighting how religious identities become dangerously weaponized under conditions of broader societal grievances.
Read also: The Harms Of Organized Religion In Africa: An Exposé—Part 5
The economic costs of religion-linked conflicts in Africa are staggering. According to the Global Peace Index, conflict-related economic disruptions, including destroyed infrastructure, lost productivity, and increased security expenditures, cost sub-Saharan African nations collectively over $300 billion annually. Such resources, if allocated to education, healthcare, infrastructure, and poverty alleviation, could significantly transform socio-economic realities across the continent, reducing the very grievances that fuel religiously-framed violence.
Countering religion’s misuse as a catalyst for conflict necessitates multi-dimensional, strategically integrated interventions. Firstly, educational curricula must promote interfaith understanding, tolerance, and critical thinking, reducing susceptibility to extremist ideologies and identity-based manipulation. Secondly, governments must implement comprehensive socio-economic policies addressing underlying inequalities and grievances that fuel sectarian violence, ensuring equitable resource distribution and inclusive governance. Thirdly, religious leaders possess crucial responsibilities to promote peace, coexistence, and reconciliation actively, challenging radical narratives and emphasizing shared human values within their communities.
Interfaith dialogue initiatives, peace-building programs, and community reconciliation efforts have demonstrated notable successes across Africa. In Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa, interfaith coalitions comprising Muslim, Christian, and traditional religious leaders have effectively mediated community conflicts, prevented violence escalation, and fostered enduring peace through sustained dialogue and collaboration.
Summarily, confronting religion-linked violence in Africa requires acknowledging religion’s dual capacities—as both source of profound unity and destructive division. Religion’s positive contributions to social cohesion, morality, and community resilience remain invaluable; however, its potential for fueling sectarian divisions demands critical attention and strategic interventions. Addressing the underlying socio-economic inequalities and political injustices that amplify religious tensions is essential, alongside sustained educational and interfaith initiatives. Recognizing religion’s complex role and proactively harnessing its positive dimensions while confronting its destructive potential is crucial for building sustainable peace, social harmony, and inclusive human development across Africa.
