CHAPTER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

                                                           2.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter gives an insight into various studies conducted by outstanding researchers, as well as explained terminologies, theories with regards to the study

2.1 Concept Of Conflict

 According to adeyemi (2015) Conflict takes various forms and dimensions in African societies; it is significant to note that conflict is difficult to define from the perspective of the Africans. It seems to be part of excitement for networking relationship, whether negative or positive. Consequently, conflicts are in the magnitude of rage, rift, misunderstanding, family and market brawls, skirmishes and wars, public insurrections and assaults. It also includes chieftaincy and boundary disputes. These storms of conflicts are wide spread in Africa (Olaoba, 2019). Conflict as an element of social interaction has been defined in various dimensions. Some writers argued that, a conflict situation emerges when two or more parties could not agree on an issue. The parties to such conflict may not necessary be the government or nation states. In an incompatible stage among nation- states, every part involved seeks to achieve certain objectives, such as additional or more secure territory, security, access to markets, prestige, alliances and the overthrow of an unfriendly government (Omotosho, 2018) The study of conflict in Africa has not always been mindful of the need to consider the interaction of local and international factors in the evolution of conflicts between African Nations. African conflict is not susceptible to prediction, although it can be explained. Overt manifestations of conflict are seldom unremitting, even in relations between rival cultures (Robert, 1981). Conflict is a particular relationship between states or rival factions within a state which implies subjective hostilities or tension manifested in subversive economic or military hostilities (Adeyemi 2015). Conflict can be described as a condition in which are identifiable group of human beings weather tribal, ethnic, linguistic, religious, socio-political, economic, cultural or otherwise is in conscious opposition to one or more other identifiable human group because these groups are pursuing what to be incompatible goals More importantly, conflict arises from the interaction of individuals who have partly, incompatible ends, in which the ability of one actor to gain his ends, depends to an important degrees on the choice or decisions that other parties will take. Conflict could be violent on uncontrollable dominant or recessive, resolvable or insolvable under various sets or circumstances (Adam, 2020). A.A Mohammed argues that Conflicts are inevitable wherever severe resources are unequally distributed among competitors and inequity is reflected in cultural and political relationship between groups. With regards to various issues in dealing with conflict, it is important to bear in mind not just overt, physical violence, but also the sometimes subtly disguised forms of structural and cultural violence (Adam, 2020). Conflict management in general and conflict resolution in particular, are almost entirely determined by our understanding of the composition of a conflict and not only by symptoms (Kotze, 2020). In fact, Albert‘s position on conflict was that there is nothing wrong with conflict, it is a critical mechanism by which goals and aspirations of individuals and groups are articulated; it is a channel for a definition of creative solutions to human problems and a means creative solutions to human problems and a means to the development of a collective identity (Adam, 2020). The repercussion of conflicts between person to person, group to group, community to community, state to state or nation to nation rarely cease with the termination of overt hostilities. However, conflict can solve contentions issues between nations or it can further exacerbate them. In any case, the consequences of conflicts are usually felt for some time after a war ends (Robert, 1981,). African conflicts as phenomenon which are frequently brushed and dismissed as been chaotic, or worthy of some vague pity or humanitarian concern, but rarely of any in-depth political analysis. The divide and rule policies of colonial administrators assured the docility of different ethnic groups and this shielded them from the menace of insurrection (Adeyemi 2015).

2.2 Conflict Resolution

Conflict is when individuals disagree or hold different viewpoints, which has the potential to be detrimental to any company. Personal agendas, insights, or goals often conflict with collective or team agendas, insights, or goals in the workplace. Conflict resolution aims to settle disputes or conflicts in ways that satisfy all parties involved or are advantageous to the group. Conflict, though, is frequently seen negatively (Ronquillo, 2022). Deutsch (2020) defines conflict resolution as the process of peacefully solving a problem or conflict between two or more parties who disagree with one another leading to mutual understanding. For conflict resolution to take place, there has to be the presence of conflict which usually occurs as a result of individuals having diverse views on a particular issue. Any procedure used to manage, decide, or resolve conflicts that might develop between people, families, groups, organizations, communities, countries, or any other social unit is referred to as conflict resolution (Barsky, 2017). Conflict resolution can be defined as the informal or formal process that two or more parties use to find a peaceful solution to their dispute (Aluaigba, 2011). Ramsbotham et al. (2016) believe that conflict resolution can take many forms, ranging from informal mediation between two individuals to formal negotiations involving large groups or even nations. Only by plumbing the depths of the complex and ever-shifting landscape of conflict can we hope to forge a sustainable path towards lasting peace and reconciliation. According to Fisher, Ury, and Patton (2011), resolving a conflict is not just about putting a stop to the current disagreement, but also about taking into account the deeper needs and interests of the individuals or groups involved. They propose that successful conflict resolution necessitates concentrating on solutions that benefit everyone, rather than prioritizing one party's victory over the other's defeat, they prioritise “win-win” outcomes.

2.3 Importance Of Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution provides an opportunity to interact with the parties concerned, with the hope of at least reducing the scope, intensity and effects of conflicts. During formal and informal meetings, conflict resolution exercises permit a reassessment of views and claims as a basis for finding options to crisis and to divergent points of view. Those who organize conflict resolution exercises or meetings usually constitute the third party in a triangular arrangement and consist of traditional rulers (King, Chiefs, etc). Conflict resolution in the plural societies can be quite complex, principally because of the determinate effects of culture and language symbolism. According to Airuch and Black (Onigun & Albert, 2019), it is quite dangerous to relegate culture to the background in conflict resolution‖. Although, culture is a marker of social differences, it should be regarded as an obstacle to conflict resolution in multi-ethnic/multi-cultural societies. Conflict resolution performs a healing function in African societies. It provides opportunity for the examinations of alternative positive decision to resolve differences. Failure to resolve conflict over access to commonly valued scarce resources, and over divergent perceptions of socio-political situations, has the high potential of degenerating into genocide or fratricide as it occurred among Ife-Modakeke in Yorubaland and Tis-Jumen of Nigeria, and the Hutu-Tutsi of Burundi and Rwanda (Adam 2020). Conflict resolution promotes consensus-building, social bridge reconstructions, and the re-enactment of order in society. Conflicts hardly break up societies (Otite, 2019). For conflict resolution, the obvious implication is to view conflicts as non-isolated events in its social context. Such perspective is not narrowly focused on a conflict and its resolution. It takes into account the cultural setting and the social context. It looks at the history of preceding events which have led to the conflict concerned. And while concentrating on the conflict itself and process of resolving it, it takes possible implications for the future seriously. A wider look is taken than one which just includes the disputing parties, possible consequences for others in their families and social network are also taken into consideration. Potential effects on relationship and interests are envisaged. Cross examination was an important mechanism employed in the process of conflict resolution in traditional African society. It was a means of weighting evidence through cross checking and corroborating of the facts of the conflict (Olaoba, 2020)

In traditional African Society, extra-judicial methods were employed in conflict resolution. These took the form of ordeals and the invocation of supernatural forces to expose all sides to the conflict. Olaoba has shown quite clearly that oath taking which was one of the extra-judicial methods usually assisted the judge or adjudicators to locate areas of weaknesses in the conflict. Aside from the iron object (sacred to the god of iron) used for oathtaking, the Yorubas also use apasa (weaving instrument) and iru (chiefly scepter), royal shrine or religious sanctuaries are also used. The wrath of the gods is used for eliciting facts of the dispute. Such gods as Sango (god of Thunder), Yemoja (goddess of river) and Ayelala (guardian of social morality) are used to ascertain the veracity of the story told by disputants (Olaoba, 2019.)