Ethnic group conflicts are very real concerns that many governments try to always deal with through peaceful means. The loyalty to your ethnic heritage can be quite powerful to the point that it can drive some people to doing things that may seem pointless and senseless. At the core of every conflict is a fundamental misunderstanding on how things are to be done in society.
For so long, the British territory of Northern Ireland has had to contend with the warring factions of the Catholics and Protestants in the area. Protestants have always been used to having better jobs and a better state in life while the Catholics were usually relegated to menial jobs. This has made the relationship of the two ethnic groups very contentious but through the efforts of many groups from inside and outside Great Britain, the armed uprising has been stemmed in recent years. While the conditions still remain tense and there is still gross inequality in the amount of opportunities that are available for different people in society, this episode in history proves that despite the statistical data that one might have, it's still possible to resolve misunderstandings through a good conversation and a well moderated dialogue between involved parties.
Africa has gotten the brunt of recent ethnic group violence. The country of Sudan has been in the spotlight in recent years due to the ongoing genocide that has been responsible for displacing millions of Darfurians as well as the death of an untold number. The conflict has been due to the inherent differences between the more Arabic Sudanese from the north of the country to the more Sub-Saharan African cultures to the south of the Kharthoum - the Sudanese capital.
There are also other parts of Africa that are in current unrest. The so-called "blood diamonds" - already a topic of critically-acclaimed films, such as the one starring Leonardo di Caprio - are the gems that have fueled the wars in the country of Liberia. While the rest of the world gets something that could be used for a nice piece of jewelry, many people in Liberia literally toil with blood, sweat and tears for these embellishments to our jewelry pieces.
What makes Africa ground zero for ethnic conflict is the fact that the Europeans arbitrarily divided the continent without really paying attention to the various tribes that existed within the artificial subdivisions that they've made. Now that most of the countries are already starting to break away from the clutches of the colonizers, they are left in a daze with a highly fragmented nation. It's almost like they have nothing much in common. Even their appreciation for silver jewelry or their cooking technique are not alike - and believe it or not, these mundane things can even lead to entire villages being razed. The Rwandan genocide of the last decade went on largely ignored by the international community and its basis was purely ethnic.
Ethnic conflicts are a fact of life and they've been going on and on for thousands of years. The challenge for the new generation is to rise over the differences and make the world a more peaceful place.
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