Ethnic conflicts in Nagaland and Bosnia: Comparative Analysis

Ethnic conflicts in Nagaland and Bosnia:
i) Critically  examine the nature and  characteristics of each
ii)  Do a comparative analysis of them

The ethnic conflict in Nagaland is between the ethnic Nagas and the Indian government. The Nagas wanted a Greater homeland that would by formed by merger of contiguous Naga inhabited areas to the present Nagaland state, and wanted total independence, which was not met by the Indian government.

Nagaland shares international borders with china and Burma, and shares borders with Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur (Indian states). The place is known for its grandeur and beauty. Even among the Nagas, there are various tribes who seem to have a diversity of origin, which can be established from the differences in their customs, rites, superstitions, and even cultivation forms. Traditional Naga society has been democratic right from the beginning; it is casteless and classless. The Nagas have always felt that they were culturally much different from the rest of India, and firmly believed they were different from Indians.

The term Nagaland has always been controversial to both Nagas as well as non-nagas. The rest of the Indians think it does not sound “Indian”. And for the Nagas living outside Nagaland, the name is a contradiction because there is a sizable Naga population living outside this present Nagaland proper. After the British left, Nagas felt they would become independent too, but it became a part of India. Unhappy with this development, from 1947 onwards the Nagas refused to obey Delhi, refused to pay taxes and refused to cooperate in any matter. Naga leaders claimed that they were not Indians and that they were never conquered by India. Many fear that India could group the smaller states in the North East into one, to manage it better. After years of conflict, the Indian government agreed to make Nagaland a separate state. The Nagas saw the granting of Statehood as the first step towards autonomy and independence. But with no signs of independence even after many years, the undeclared war between the Nagas and the Indians began somewhere in 1955.

Economic development in Nagaland is far behind compared to other states. In the last few decades, Indian government set aside funds for development of Nagaland. However, because of the hostilities the funds could not be utilised for development. Also, the government was finding it difficult to initiate talks. The underground Nagas argued that the word ‘Nagaland’ was coined by them and as a result the Overground Nagas had no rights to strike any deal with the Indian government without the approval of the Undergrounds. Over time, the Overground and the Underground Nagas started supporting one another towards their common goal of independence. Even those outside Nagaland started supplying men and material for Naga independence. Also, the aid provided by Delhi was used both by Over-grounds as well as the Undergrounds and there was a greater explosion on Naga nationalist sentiment (contrary to what Delhi anticipated)

Over the years, Delhi has used a mix of strategies to engage with the Nagas, and now believes that the situation is under control. The Government of India signed a ceasefire agreement with NSCN (IM) in 1997, and several rounds of discussions were held subsequently between the two sides. Every once in a while you will hear efficient government officers saying there is no longer an issue as the Nagas have become soft due to aid from Delhi. Nagas have also changed over the years with many giving up their old religion and converting to Christianity. The state’s political scenario has also changed in recent years, and the current Indian government seems to have persuaded all local groups to become partners in an all-party government.

The Bosnian conflict took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina (between the years 1992–95), as a result of the breakup of Yugoslavia. However, tensions among the local ethnic groups have been going on for many years, much before the conflict. Post the Second World War, the Balkan states of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia and Macedonia became a part of Yugoslavia, a country held together by its leader Josip Broz Tito. Tito dealt with separatism and ethnic nationalism using an iron fist.

The Serbs always regarded themselves as the dominant partners when Yugoslavia was formed, as they had fought alongside the victorious allies in World War I, whereas others (Croatia and Slovenia) fought alongside Germany in World War I. So the Serbians hated Tito for recognizing Macedonians and Muslims of Bosnia-Herzegovina as distinct nationalities.
Following Tito’s death in 1980 and the collapse of Communism in Yugoslavia, the various states started demanding independence. Bosnia and Herzegovina population comprised mainly of Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims loyal to the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina), Serbs (from Yugoslavia), and Croats (loyal to Croatia).

Slobodan Milosevic, known as “The Butcher of the Balkans” succeeded in rallying support for himself by using old grudges to stir up nationalistic emotions, and inciting dreams of a “Greater Serbia,” which would be made up of only Serbians. As a result, Bosnia, which had a majority of Muslims, proclaimed its independence in 1992, which was recognized by the European Community and the United States. This angered the Serbs who wanted to make a “Greater Serbia” (nation for Serbians) and the Serbian Democratic party declared war by bombarding Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo, which would make the start of the Bosnian conflict.

The Bosnian ethnic issue escalated due to people’s different religions and from having an out-dated sense of regionalism. Whereas Bosnians tend to be Muslims, Serbs are Orthodox Christians, and Croats are Catholics. As Yugoslavia disintegrated and order ceased, the ethnic groups resorted to their main distinguishing characteristics: region and religion. Both, Serbs and Croats wanted to annex a part of Bosnian territory for their own (new) nations, and were not considerate about the Muslims.

As various nationalist groups pursued statehood, the clash between various ethnicities created an intense conflict in Bosnia. The ethnically rooted war involved bitter fighting involving the three Bosnian groups. The three ethnic groups predominantly supported their respective ethnic or national faction.

The Bosnian War was characterised by bitter fighting, indiscriminate shelling of cities and towns, ethnic cleansing and systematic mass rape, mainly perpetrated by Serb, and to a lesser extent, Croat and Bosniak forces. Events such as the Siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre later became iconic of the conflict. Finally in 1995, with the help of Western countries a final cease-fire was negotiated.

In both the cases, the groups wanted a separate state based on their ethnicity, as they felt they were culturally different from the others. In the case of Nagas, for a long time, they behaved like xenophobes who were suspicious of all outsiders as they feared they would suffer racial, economic and political exploitation if they were ruled by outsiders. In both the cases, force was used to keep all the ethnic groups in check, but in the case of Yugoslavia, with the death of Tito, the country disintegrated and the various groups aligned to their main distinguishing characteristics, which was their ethnicity. The Serbs also felt they were superior as they had fought with the allies, who were victorious in world war. In case of Nagaland, over a period of time, the Nagas softened their stance, because of several reasons – changed political scenario, people converting to Christianity and talking a less hard-line stance, and also because of the prolonged peace process initiated by the Indian government, whereas in the case of Bosnia the intensity of the conflicts forced the international community to intervene and get all the warring sides to call for a ceasefire.

References:

Nagaland

• Explained: Everything you need to know about Nagaland. Retrieved from insurgency
  https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/everything-you-need-to-know-about-nagaland-insurgency-and-the-efforts-to-solve/
• Nagaland conflict on Wikipedia: Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagaland_conflict

Bosnia

• What Was the Cause of The Bosnian War? Retrieved from https://borgenproject.org/cause-of-the-bosnian-war/
  Timeline: Break-Up of Yugoslavia.” BBC News. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4997380.stm (accessed April 1, 2014).
• Bosnia War on Wikipedia: Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnian_War

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