Communal Conflicts in Southeast Nigeria

Explaining the Elites' Character in the Oruku and Umuode Sub-ethnic conflicts of Enugu state

Abstract

Sub-ethnic conflict has offered so much to communal conflict literature. Several factors contribute to the literature on sub-ethnic conflicts, such as chieftaincy tussles, indigenous-settlers identity, land contests, and the quest for autonomous communities. While this literature has attracted significant attention to academic study, it has not yet provided reliable insight into elite roles in fomenting sub-ethnic conflicts in southeast Nigeria. The study analyses how the Igbo elite of Oruku-Umuode extraction recreated sub-ethnic conflicts in the two communities. With the help of Elite theory, the study used documentary methods to generate data and inductive analytical techniques and historical methods to analyze the data. Findings reveal that Oruku-Umuode sub-ethnic conflicts are micro conflicts of the rural community's macro trajectories, primarily exacerbated by the dominant political and economic power of Oruku and Umuode elites. Thus, the study recommends that state governments abrogate autonomous communities' land claims in Igboland.