Inter-Group Relations and Peace Building in Pre-Colonial Africa: Focus on Agba and Izhi Environmental Conflicts

Abstract

In pre-colonial African societies, warfare was the major means which many communities used to attain to their goals. According to oral tradition, communities engaged in a series of wars with their neighbours in order to attain or protect their existential interest. The nature of the interest differs from society to society. One of the major factors that have driven wars among communities in Africa is the contest over a given portion of land. Land occupied a fundamental place in the societal interest of many communities and groups. That is unconnected to the fact that land is used for multiple purposes. Some people need it for agricultural purpose, while others need it for business and settlement goals, thus, when the interest of one community clash with another over land, conflict and warfare becomes imminent. Several other reasons for pre-colonial Igbo warfare include abduction of sons and daughters of the land, desecration of sacred places, raids, etc. The wars were often carried out by different age grades that constituted armed forces of a particular community. In order to carry out these wars successfully, different weapons were used and many strategies were applied by the communities at war to defeat their enemies. This chapter is centred on the dynamics of intergroup warfare between the Agba people as well as Izhi people of present-day Ebonyi State and their neighbours. The chapter examined the dynamics of war between Agba and their neighbours, as well as warfare in Izhi clan, the weapons of war, those who constituted the armies and the peace building strategies adopted by the people, who were then independent communities.