Conflict and Violence
Senior 1 · History and Citizenship
Conflict and Violence
Lesson 2 of 5
24 min
Peace workers in many countries, including in Rwanda's schools, use a simple drawing to study a conflict: a tree. Figure 2 shows how it works.
Worked example: filling in a conflict tree
Problem: In a village, two families quarrel over the boundary between their fields. One night a young man pulls up the other family's beans; the next day there is a fight, and a boy is hurt.
Definition
Cause of conflict: a condition or event that makes a conflict start or grow. Causes can be long-term (deep roots, such as poverty or injustice) or immediate (a trigger, such as a disputed result or an insult).
Definition
Consequence: a result or effect that follows from something. Example: refugees are a consequence of violent conflict.
Definition
Refugee: a person who has fled his or her own country because of conflict or persecution and cannot safely return. A person who flees but stays inside the country is an internally displaced person.
| Cause | How it leads to conflict | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Scarce resources | people compete for land, water, grazing or jobs that are too few | two families claim the same plot; herders and farmers dispute water |
| Injustice and discrimination | a group is treated unfairly and its anger grows | apartheid in South Africa (Lesson 1) |
| Poor governance and corruption | people lose trust in leaders, courts or elections, so they settle disputes by force | an election result that many people believe was not fair |
| Bad leadership and manipulation | leaders stir up fear of another group to win support | politicians who blame a whole group for a country's problems |
| Poverty and unemployment | idle, hopeless young people can be recruited into violence | youth paid to join gangs or militias |
| Hate speech, rumours and poor communication | false stories turn neighbours into enemies; misunderstandings grow | a rumour on social media that sparks a fight |
| Different values or interests | people disagree about beliefs, customs or goals | a quarrel over which music to play at a class party |
| Type of consequence | Examples |
|---|---|
| Human | loss of life, injuries, disability |
| Social | families separated, people displaced or made refugees, trust between neighbours broken, schools closed |
| Economic | homes, crops and businesses destroyed; trade and tourism stop; poverty and hunger rise |
| Psychological | fear, grief and trauma, which can last for years |
| Political | loss of trust in leaders, breakdown of law and order, outside interference |
| Positive, if handled well | a hidden problem is brought into the open; laws and relationships are improved (Lesson 3) |
Important
The trigger. Kenya held a presidential election on 27 December 2007. When the result was announced, supporters of the losing candidate said it had been rigged, and protests spread.
The roots. The dispute fell on old roots: arguments over land that went back to colonial times, poverty and youth unemployment, and politicians who had long mobilised voters along ethnic lines.
The consequences. For about two months, violence spread through parts of the country. An official Kenyan inquiry, the Commission of Inquiry into Post-Election Violence (the Waki Commission), found that at least 1,133 people died and more than 300,000 were driven from their homes. Farms and businesses were destroyed, and trust between communities was badly damaged.
What came next. In February 2008 African mediators helped the two sides reach an agreement. You will study how in Lesson 3.
Draw a conflict tree for the Kenya case. Which roots were there long before the election? Which consequences do you think lasted longest, and why?
Tip
Exam technique: in a "causes" answer, sort your points into long-term and immediate causes. In a "consequences" answer, cover at least three types: human, social and economic. One point per paragraph, with an example.
Redd Barna (Save the Children Norway): "The Conflict Tree Tool", a short animation made for young peacebuilders. Watch for what goes in the roots, the trunk and the branches, then compare it with Figure 2.
Practice
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
