Paper Example on Extreme Political Violence in East Africa

Introduction

Political activities are often characterized by intense emotions that sway individuals to various sides of the government. In fact, Landau and Misago opine that majority of the voters in all parts of the world are often manipulated by the calculated speeches of the politicians (100). Although campaigns and voting processes are always expected to be free and fair, the stiff competition triggers wild reactions, which make opponents instigate political violence. Politicians have managed to use language in a manipulative manner so that they achieve their selfish goals. There are nations known in the entire globe for political tension during electioneering period. Against this backdrop, the thrust of the present research is to investigate extreme political violence in East Africa.This research,therefore, seeks to present the causes, manifestations, and consequences of violence in East African nations.

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For a long time, East African nations have hit the global news headlines for irregularities and run-offs,which are usually accompanied by violent activities (1324). Thisis the idea supported by Boone, who opines that East Africa is a hub of political studies due to its peculiar leadership, which recycles around the longest ruling dictators of the contemporary times (1333). The East Africa region comprises of countries such as Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, and Ethiopia, among others. Thorough research on this topic is, therefore, believed to be beneficial in producing comprehensive literature on global affairs.

Causes of Political Violence in East Africa

Thorough scrutiny of East African literature reveals several reasons why political campaigns and elections are punctuated with extreme violence. First, East African populations are divided along ethnic lines. It is essentialto note that the founding fathers of the East African states initiated racial hatred, which has continued to affect subsequent generations. Writing on the political issues in Uganda, Mosley and Chiripanhura contend that when East African nations gained independence from the colonial masters, leaders took advantage of the ignorance of the entire country, and enriched their selfish desires, thus promoting economic inequalities (928). This point is supported by Landau and Misago, who argue that a wave of bitterness is experienced by numerous communities, who seek to elect their members to replace the oppressive dictators (108). Since these leaders are not willing to surrender their positions, the various communities are often incited against each other, through various forms of extreme violence.

Secondly, East African countries, unlike other nations in the world, are not transparent in the electoral process. This is a sure cause of extreme political violence. According to Hassan, one thing that annoys many East African voters is the fact that they sacrifice a lot of time to elect the leaders they deserve (518). However, leaders rely on groups of sycophants and bribed persons to divert the will of the ordinary voters. This reason, coupled with tribal animosity, fuels violence that characterize many East African countries. For instance, in Kenyan, post-election skirmishes were experienced in 2007 after the presidential election. Surprisingly, the impacts of this violence are still felt till to date, ten years down the line.Perhaps, it is impossible to entirely eradicate extreme violence in Africa because the democratic rights of the voters are never respected. Thisleaves many in bitterness, and violence is the only way to express their disappointment. It has become a norm during electioneering period for citizens to stock excess foodstuff because the future after the electionis uncertain.

Another cause of extreme political violence in East Africa borders on a weak rule oflaw. It is reported that top leaders in nations such as Uganda and Tanzania among others are notorious for circumventing transparency checks and balances (Haggard and Tiede 677). The whole problem is aggravated by the fact that politicians who instigate violence are never held accountable by the law. This promotes impunity and weakens the checks and balances. It is essential to note that the rule of law is abused in various ways. For instance, the perpetrators of violence are seldom arrested, investigated, or even prosecuted. Additionally, the police are not keen to act on statements recorded by victims of violence. Often, extreme violence in East Africa has been fueled by citizens' expression of bitterness or discontent; when guilty politicians are given lenient punishment or just left scot free (Hassan 512). The lack of efforts by the relevant authorities tobring people tobook has been a factor that stirs bitterness and further violence in these countries.

Poverty and social inequality also prove to be causes of extreme violence in East African politics. Unequal distribution of national wealth is an issue often revisited during the electioneering period. Politicians view politics as an opportunity to compete for power, while the ordinary citizens are left dissatisfied with the social inequalities (Boone 1328). For instance, in Uganda, political violence has been blamed on the fraudulent acquisition of power and resources; an aspect that leaves many citizens destitute. This trend makes voters displace their aggression during political campaigns and voting period. High poverty levels also leave many youths unemployed or with a seasonal form of employment. This forces them to easily fall for any "bribe" offered by politicians in exchange of their political support. Additionally, social inequality is an unresolved problem that exposes millions of citizens to political manipulations by top government officials. It is crucial to note that this has been a major contributing factor in East African political violence since the independence of individual states.

Political executives, who gain the power to reward their ethnic communities,contribute a lot towards extreme violence. Politics in East Africa can be best described as survival of the fittest, where great rewards are dished out to loyalists and sycophantic tribesmen (Battera, 118). It is worth stressing that whereas East Africa has many nations, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, and Rwanda have recorded some of the worst political violence cases in history. The primary reason behind this trend is because losing power is considered too costly, and any effort must be made to protect political positions, even if extreme political violence has tobe instigated. As ethnic communities seek to benefit from one of their community members, other tribes are thoroughly angered; hence, war erupts to pursue the varied interests. Political move in East Africa is, therefore, miscalculated, and only a handful of loyal leaders benefit at the expense of citizens.

Forms of Extreme Political Violence

Political violence in East African nations is perpetrated in varied ways. First, intimidation and coercionare often experienced during the electioneering period. Politicians who command a lot of power begin fights by harassingopponent teams. In a retaliatory process, war is realized (Battera 116). Tracing political violence caused by ethnic differences, Van Holt et al. contend that extreme violenceis characterized by torture and kidnaps, whichare usually arranged by opposing parties (346). Also, East African extreme violence involves torture of suspects by state agents of security. In fact, this is a widespread form of abuse, whereby the police use excessive force on innocent and unarmed citizens. The torture aims to suppress opponents so that they accept election results that have been manipulated.

Cases of extreme assault have been associated with political violence in East Africa for a long time. In a case study of genocide in Rwanda in 1994, Chu reports that murder and assault are the highest forms of political violence (7). This is to be understood in the context of gender violence and the use of force to disperse opposing sides. In moments of defense, a severe altercation often arises,and greater violenceis stirred. This is the idea echoed by Roberts, who according to his study onpost-election violence in Kenya in 2007 observes that political violence gives rise to hooliganism and public riots, which infuriate police officers to open fire, thus causing loss of lives (148). The increased tension among citizens and police officers is often a protracted trend that leads to themurder of innocent individuals in the East African communities. As Battera rightly puts it, there is hardly an election in these states that do not attract loss of lives (118). Other forms of extreme violence include the destruction of property, looting,and disruption of public rallies. Politicians hire hooligans to disrupt demonstrations of their opponents. This is an activity that fuels hatred among citizens, who have to settle their scores through extreme violence.

Consequences of Extreme Political Violence in East Africa

Perpetration of violent acts in East Africa leaves numerous indelible effects on the economy of the individual nation. One of the effects of extreme violence is economic insecurity. Violence is one sure way to disrupt trade, farming, and other financial activities in a country (Raleigh and Kniveton 56). The looting that always accompanies extreme violence leaves many businesses vandalized, hence economic degradation. Further, economic uncertainty in East Africa leads to high numbers of internally displaced persons (IDP), who flee their homes to seek security and material assistance from other lands. Researching on this topic, Haggard and Tiede mention that economic disruption caused by violence is evident, especially when schools and places of worship become inaccessible due to heated political atmospheres (675).Also, local and international investment is severely threatened due to violence.Apparently, no individual wants to invest in uncertain places characterized by war. Another economic consequence is that the governments of East African nations have to divert lots of money to repair of damaged public infrastructure and other facilities.This explains why economic growth in these countries cannot measure up to the global standards.

Extreme political violence also causes social identity conflicts among East African nations. Some of the notable areas in this point concern religion and ethnicity. Hassan indicates that when citizens are displaced, social cohesion is broken, hence identity issues in the places where they are accommodated (512). Violence in East Africa should be viewed as a cause of political patronage that tears people away for cohesive communities to new destinations, characterized by uncertainty. Closely linked to this is the consequence of political instability. East African nations are perceived as politically immature by many western countries, because of the manner in which violence interferes with the political pillars of the individual countries (Haggard and Tiede 676). Since therights of citizens are ignored due to political selfishness, the democracy of these countries is often described as weak and unstable.

Further illustrations of political instability can be seen in the restriction of media and fraudulent elections that erode the rule of law, hence promoting instability in governance. Additionally, extreme violence leads to reversed democracy, where the freedoms of the citizens are curtailed. When state agents resort to violence and mercilessly beat helpless citizens including women, a state of political apathy is created. This is the condition that pushes citizens to resort to drastic survival measures, which may fuel grater atrocity (Van Holt et al. 348). Animosity between East Africans and their governments is a result of reversed democracy. These consequences hav...