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Abstract

Armed non-state militia groups of different shades—comprising rebels, criminals, extremist religious militants, and other opportunistic outfits—have played a significant role in creating instability and undermining human security in Africa. The militia and rebel groups, including the Islamist militant groups have fomented unending ethnic and religious tensions and conflicts in the region. Cognizant of this state of affairs, in this paper I analyze and try to explain the rise of some notable militia groups in Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Central African Republic. While focusing on the Mungiki, the Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) in (Kenya), the LRA of Uganda, the militias under Southern Sudan Defense Force (Sudan), the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), and the National Congress for the Defense of the People (now M23) Rebels in the (DRC), I argue that these groups have had debilitating and destabilizing consequences for good governance in those countries and their neighbors. In the paper, I postulate that the groups emerged due to poor national leadership, which marginalized some communities by creating economic imbalances perceived to favor certain communities and classes. The actions have bred poverty and disparities in the resource and service allocation among the different ethnic groups. Consequently, the actions of these groups not only contributed to regional conflicts but also have created instability, underdevelopment, and insecurity in the different African states. In an attempt to address these issues, I examine the rise of these rebels groups with a focus on their objectives, ideological or political orientation, and sources of funds and analyze how communities and the states in the region have responded.

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