Do African borders need to be redrawn?

[The Odum of Ala Igbo]

People claim the borders need to be redrawn due to different ethnics being bunched together. Yet...

Somalia is extremely homogeneous in ethnic groups and culture and yet Somalia is the "Afghanistan of Africa."

Eritrea has always been historically apart of Northern Ethiopia. Both Northern Ethiopians and Eritreans are mostly the same group; Hesbesha and same cultyre. Yet Eritrea still wanted its independence. I think it has more to do than just ethnic groups being bunched together.

Somalia can be deemed ethnically homogeneous but I don't believe all nations which speak the language ought be in the same country if they don't want to. Germany, Austria and most of Switzerland speak German and yet the inhabitants of those countries today are content with not being in the same country (notwithstanding the EU supranational structures). Somalilanders and Djiboutians don't wish to be in the same country as Somalis and that's fine in my opinion.

As for the Tigrayans who live in Ethiopia and what is now Eritrea, Italian colonialism and the policies of Emperor Haile Selassie cemented a separate Eritrean identity which broke away from Ethiopia after the Derg was overthrown in 1991.

What I'm trying to say is that there are differences within groups labeled as ethnic groups and they should be able to access political self-determination if need be.

 

[Poitier]

There should be no borders, in an ideal world, to encourage trade and skilled labor exchange across the continent.

 

[GrindtooFilthy]

100% african borders need to be redrawn, this should have happened already and i think the quicker it does the faster we can get rid of corruption and warfare

 

[OD-MELA]

100% african borders need to be redrawn, this should have happened already and i think the quicker it does the faster we can get rid of corruption and warfare

Haha you stupid American

 

[OD-MELA]

The arbitrary act of ´Redrawing‘ borders will magically erase generations of endemic corruption and etnic conflict lmao only on Thecoli

 

[ZoeGod]

Yes because everything the European touches creates conflict. Look at the mideast. The western power divided up the mideast to create an atmosphere of instability. That is why you have the explosion of the middle east with the wars in iraq,Syria and Yemen which is leading the region into further chaos. In Africa alot of the conflicts is by having tribes and ethnic groups who hate each other to live together. At the same time what is the status of the East African Federation? Will it happen?

 

[Audemar]

It would be sensible seeing that the Europeans came through and created borders with complete disregard for preexisting groups and any conflicts they may have had. If I remember correctly, some European nations even sought to use preexisting divisions to their benefit.

 

[I.AM.PIFF]

Let them duke it out and some new borders will come out of it

 

[EthioLady]

People claim the borders need to be redrawn due to different ethnics being bunched together. Yet...

Somalia is extremely homogeneous in ethnic groups and culture and yet Somalia is the "Afghanistan of Africa."

Eritrea has always been historically apart of Northern Ethiopia. Both Northern Ethiopians and Eritreans are mostly the same group; Hesbesha and same cultyre. Yet Eritrea still wanted its independence. I think it has more to do than just ethnic groups being bunched together.

Stop talking about things you know nothing about, Northern Ethiopians and Eritreans are not the same group/people, Northern Ethiopia has different ethnic groups like Agew, Berta, Amhara, Gumuz, Oromos, Tigreans and Shinasha etc, while Eritrea has nine different ethnic groups and each ethnic group has its own language, traditions, culture and custom.

 

[VICVALLIN]

I've been saying this is the biggest problem in Africa and the middle east for years. The only people who disagree with me is you know who.

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Stop talking about things you know nothing about, Northern Ethiopians and Eritreans are not the same group/people, Northern Ethiopia has different ethnic groups like Agew, Berta, Amhara, Gumuz, Oromos, Tigreans and Shinasha etc, while Eritrea has nine different ethnic groups and each ethnic group has its own language, traditions, culture and custom.

Stop letting the Ethiopian nationalism get to you. Both Eritrea and Northern Ethiopia are both Hesbasha. Oromes don't even live in the highlands but more southern. Eritrea and northern Ethiopia have a common history that goes back to at least antiquity. The most dominant ethnic groups on both sides are the Tigrniya speaking christian highlanders of Eritrea and Tigray State of northern Ethiopia.

 

[Geek Nasty]

Europe has had some recent artificial states as well. Yugoslavia split up because it was a based on fake borders. Czechoslavakia too. The Kurds are trying to carve out a nation from their territories in Iraq, Turkey, and Syria (Jordan too?), but of course those countries are having none of it.

That's not the issue IMO. It's not like you create a new country out of an ethnic region and shyt suddenly gets good.

 

[Samori Toure]

Anyways, I think most of the countries in Southern Africa formed organically or its just that either southern African countries are more developed or don't have that many ethnic groups. So for them they don't really need to redraw their borders. Same with North Africa. West and East Africa seems to have the countries with large amounts of diverse ethnic groups, but also nations that had many states/kingdoms in it. For example Nigeria is a nation where before it had many separate kingdom/states that never interacted with each other like say Oyo empire and Kano state. But now they are al bunched together. But it gets worse with Mali when you have a nation dominated by Mande/Mandinka people and the other minorities being the Tuarag and Fulani. All three who were rivals with one another going back to the medieval times, but now they are all bunched together.

But in my opinion I don't think a nation like Nigeria should separate. Nigeria is a potential powerhouse if they stay together. A separate Nigeria would only become weaker imo. The north and south should work things out, but thats highly unlikely...

I would put my money on the Nigeria being the one current African state that is going to eventually break apart. Like you said; they never really interacted before colonialism and they have already had one war (the Biafrian War) since colonialism ended. With Boko Haram floating around and the Nigerian central government basically being unable to shut them down; that sounds like shyt might get ethnic real fast over there.

 

[GrindtooFilthy]

Haha you stupid American

im nigerian, son who the fukk are you?

 

[Bawon Samedi]

Haha you stupid American

Chillax.