Differences between "large-scale" conflicts and "small-scale" conflicts

In my second entry I want to highlight the differences between large scale and small scale conflicts which deal with water. For that I will shortly present two different conflicts which took place in the last decade. With this entry, I also want to show very briefly (there will be another entry about this topic) that there are various reasons for a (water) conflict, and sometimes the issue of water distribution can be the trigger and sometimes it is the key issue of a conflict.

Very often a conflict results from many different problems and not just one. We should always take into consideration the different lifestyles of different social groups, the historical context, and the social and ethnic differences. All these variables can lead to an outbreak of a conflict. Very often, armed conflicts, which deal with water, only happen on the small scale, for example in villages or in general in just one single country. Water conflicts between two or more states often remain on the political or diplomatic stage. The reason for this is quite obvious. It is simply cheaper and easier to not have a war, than to have a war (Konflikte und Kooperationen). 

One example for this case is the conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia. This conflict has already existed for many decades but it almost escalated in 2013. The main issue was that Ethiopia wanted to build a new dam (Renaissance dam) on the Nile (upstream). Of course, Egypt was afraid of this project because they feared to lose one of their most important resources. As a result of this, Egyptian politicians talked about blowing up the dam or the possible support of Ethiopian rebel groups which will fight against the government (Wasserkrieg). So, the whole atmosphere was very overheated and a solution for this big problem was necessary. But this conflict also shows another dimension. It was not just about the water and the dam but also about national policy. Both presidents (of Egypt and Ethiopia) pushed the conflict a little bit to show their population their strength and power. Especially the president of Ethiopia used this conflict to get more support from young people (Wasserkrieg). The solution of this conflict was a treaty which was negotiated by Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, which shares a border with both countries. Sudan decisively supported the negotiations and showed Egypt possible advantages of the new dam. After the negotiations, the Sudanese minister talked about “Hydro-diplomacy”, a term which will be maybe used more often in the future. This whole conflict shows what I just mentioned at the very beginning. Conflicts between two or more states are often solved by cross-border cooperation instead of armed conflicts (TU Berlin). (the picture shows the presidents of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, source: FAZ)

In contrast to this conflict I want to present a regional conflict between two ethnic groups in Kenya. Since 1992, there have been various conflicts between Maasai people and Kikuyu people. The Kikuyu people are the largest ethnic group in Kenya and the Maasai people are one of the most popular ethnic group in Africa. After the end of colonialization many different ethnic groups claimed various territories in Kenya as their own. The Maasai people and Kikuyu people, which usually have a more or less peaceful relation, also attacked each other to get more land. But it is not just a conflict about territory and the water which is in this territory, but also a fight about different lifestyles. The Maasai people are nomads and they sometimes attack other groups, which settled down at one place, because they think it is their territory. And this existing small conflict escalated in 2005. The Maasai people blamed the Kikuyu people to steal water from the Ewaso Kedong River (Rift Valley), which actually belongs to no one (TU Berlin). As a result of this, Kikuyu people attacked the leader of a regional Maasai village and unfortunately, they killed him. Of course, this attack led to riots and on the 22^nd of January in 2005, 400 Maasai warriors attacked a Kikuyu village for avenging their leader. They killed 15 people and more than 10 were injured (FAZ).

Since then, there has not been any conflict with such terrible consequences but of course this whole event led to huge social conflicts (WELT).

And as I already mentioned in the beginning these conflicts are not just about water but they are a mixture of different problems which can lead to a conflict. The two examples I just presented to you show that lifestyle, historical context, economic situation, politics, and social and ethnic conflicts also matter. And they also showed the difference between “small-scale” conflicts and “large-scale” conflicts. The conflicts between two states are often about diplomacy and negotiations whereas the conflicts in one country or a region often lead to riots.

As always, feel free to comment on my entry! If you have any criticism, ideas or thoughts about my text just share it!