| Date | November 2016 | Marks available | 20 | Reference code | 16N.3op2a.HL.TZ0.21 |
| Level | Higher level only | Paper | Paper 3 (Aspects of the history of Africa) - last exams 2016 | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | Evaluate | Question number | 21 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Evaluate the political impact of ethnic conflict in any two African countries.
Markscheme
Candidates are expected to focus their responses on the consequences of ethnic conflict in any two African countries in the period from their independence to 2000. The nature of responses will vary greatly depending on the countries chosen, and there may well be some overlap between ethnic conflict and civil war in the responses. Candidates may note that the causes of conflicts are complex and ethnic factors often overlap and interact with others.
Indicative content
- Invariably, one major result of ethnic conflict in African countries has been severe political and economic destabilization and a corresponding lack of progress and development.
- Ethnic conflict has often resulted in civil war, as different groups competed for political dominance, or one or more ethnicities attempted to secede. Sometimes these attempts have met with failure, as was the case with the defeat of the attempted Igbo secession in the Nigerian Civil War of 1967 to 1970. In the case of Nigeria this was followed by some form of national reconciliation.
- On other occasions this has led to the division of established states, although this has been atypical. An example of this would be the independence of Eritrea in 1991 following a protracted civil war in Ethiopia.
- In many cases, governments have been ousted as a result of ethnic conflict. This was the case in Ethiopia with the victory of the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) over the Amhara-dominated Mengistu regime in 1991 and in Rwanda with the invasion and overthrow of the Hutu-dominated government by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF).
- In many cases ethnic conflict resulted in the long-term domination of one group by another. This was the case in the Sudan with the subjugation of the south by the Arab north.
- In the worst cases ethnic conflict has resulted in genocide, as was the case in Rwanda in 1994.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, the list is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.
Examiners and moderators are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so.
[20 marks]
