The most unstable region on our planet in terms of wars and numerous armed conflicts is, of course, the African continent. Over the past forty years alone, more than 50 such incidents have occurred here, as a result of which more than 5 million people died, 18 million became refugees, and 24 million were left without a roof over their heads. Perhaps, nowhere else in the world of war and endless conflicts have not led to such massive casualties and destruction.
General information
From the history of the Ancient World, it is known that major wars in Africa have been waged since the third millennium BC. They began with the unification of the Egyptian lands. In the future, the pharaohs constantly fought for the expansion of their state, then with Palestine, then with Syria. Three Punic wars are also known , lasting a total of more than a hundred years.
In the Middle Ages, armed conflicts contributed significantly to the further development of aggressive policies and hone the art of war to perfection. Africa only survived the three Crusades in the 13th century. The long list of military confrontations that this continent underwent in the 19th and 20th centuries is simply amazing! However, the first and second world wars became the most destructive for him. Only during the time of one of them killed more than 100 thousand people.
World War I in Africa
The reasons for the hostilities in this region were reasonably good. As you know, the First World War in Europe was unleashed by Germany. The countries of the Entente, opposing its pressure, decided to take back its colonies in Africa, which the German government had acquired recently. These lands were still poorly protected, and given that the British fleet at that time dominated the sea, they were completely cut off from their metropolis. This could mean only one thing - Germany was not able to send reinforcements and ammunition. In addition, the German colonies were surrounded on all sides by territories belonging to their opponents - the countries of the Entente.
Already at the end of the summer of 1914, French and British forces managed to capture the first small colony of the enemy - Togo. Further invasion of the Entente forces in South-West Africa was somewhat suspended. The reason for this was the Boer uprising, which was suppressed only in February 1915. After that, the South African army began to quickly move forward and already in July forced the German troops stationed in South West Africa to surrender. The following year, Germany had to leave Cameroon, whose defenders fled to the neighboring colony - Spanish Guinea. However, despite such a victorious advance of the Entente forces, the Germans were nevertheless able to show serious resistance in East Africa, where fighting continued throughout the war.
Further fighting
The First World War in Africa affected many of the Allied colonies, as German troops had to retreat to territory belonging to the British crown. The German army in this region was commanded by Colonel P. von Lettow-Forbeck. It was he who led the troops in early November 1914, when the largest battle took place near the city of Tanga (Indian Ocean coast). At this time, the German army numbered about 7 thousand people. With the support of two cruisers, the British managed to land a dozen and a half dozen landing transports, but despite this, Colonel Lettov-Forbeck managed to win a landslide victory over the British, forcing them to leave the coast.
After that, the war in Africa turned into a partisan struggle. The Germans attacked the English forts and undermined the railways in Kenya and Rhodesia. Lettov-Forbeck replenished his army by recruiting local volunteers who had good training. In total, he managed to recruit about 12 thousand people.
In 1916, united in one army, the British, Portuguese and Belgian colonial forces launched an offensive in eastern Africa. But no matter how hard they tried, they were not able to defeat the German army. Despite the fact that the allied forces significantly outnumbered the German troops, Lettv-Forbeck helped to hold out two factors: knowledge of the climate and terrain. And at this time, his opponents suffered heavy losses, and not only on the battlefield, but also because of illnesses. In late autumn 1917, pursued by the Allies, Colonel P. von Lettow-Forbeck ended up with his army in the territory of the Mozambique colony, which belonged to Portugal at that time.
The end of hostilities
The First World War was nearing completion. Africa and Asia, as well as Europe, suffered heavy casualties. By August 1918, German troops surrounded on all sides, avoiding meetings with the main enemy forces, were forced to return to their territory. By the end of the same year, the remnants of the colonial Lett-Forbeck army of no more than 1,500 people were in Northern Rhodesia, which at that time belonged to Britain. Here the colonel learned about the defeat of Germany and was forced to lay down his arms. For his courage in battles with the enemy, he was greeted at home as a hero.
Thus ended the First World War. In Africa, according to some estimates, it cost at least 100 thousand human lives. Although the hostilities on this continent were not decisive, they continued throughout the war.
WWII
As you know, the large-scale military operations launched by fascist Germany in the 30-40s of the last century affected not only the territory of Europe. Two more continents were not spared by World War II. Africa and Asia were also drawn, albeit partially, into this grand conflict.
Unlike Britain, Germany by that time no longer had its own colonies, but always aspired to them. In order to paralyze the economy of their main enemy - England, the Germans decided to establish control over North Africa, since only this way could get to other British colonies - India, Australia and New Zealand. In addition, Hitler’s likely reason for conquering North African lands was his further invasion of Iran and Iraq, where there were significant oil deposits controlled by Britain.
The beginning of hostilities
The Second World War in Africa lasted for three years - from June 1940 to May 1943. The opposing forces in this conflict were Britain and the USA, on the one hand, and Germany and Italy, on the other. The main hostilities took place in Egypt and the Maghreb. The conflict began with the invasion of Italian troops on the territory of Ethiopia, which significantly undermined the rule of Britain in this region.
Initially, 250 thousand Italian soldiers participated in the North African campaign, to which 130 thousand German soldiers who had a large number of tanks and artillery later came to the rescue. In turn, the allied army of the United States and Britain totaled 300 thousand American and more than 200 thousand British troops.
Further developments
The war in North Africa began with the fact that in June 1940 the British began to target the Italian army, as a result of which they immediately lost several thousand of their soldiers, while the British - no more than two hundred. After such a defeat, the Italian government decided to give command of the troops into the hands of Marshal Graziani and was not mistaken with the choice. Already on September 13 of the same year, he launched an offensive, forcing the British General O'Connor to retreat due to the significant superiority of his opponent in manpower. After the Italians managed to capture the small Egyptian town of Sidi Barrani, the offensive was suspended for three long months.
Unexpectedly for Graziani at the end of 1940, the army of General O'Connor went on the offensive. The Libyan operation began with an attack on one of the Italian garrisons. Graziani was clearly not ready for such a turn of events, so he could not organize a worthy rebuff to his opponent. As a result of the swift offensive of British troops, Italy forever lost its colonies in northern Africa.
The situation changed somewhat in the winter of 1941, when Hitler's command sent General Rommel's tank formations to help his ally . Already in March, the war in Africa broke out with renewed vigor. The combined army of Germany and Italy dealt a strong blow to the British defense, completely destroying one of the enemy armored brigades.
The end of World War II
In November of that year, the British made a second attempt at a counteroffensive, launching an operation code-named "Crusader." They even managed to recapture Tripoletanie, but in December they were stopped by the army of Rommel. In May 1942, a German general delivered a decisive blow to enemy defenses, and the British were forced to retreat deep into Egypt. The victorious offensive continued until the 8th Allied Army interrupted it near Al-Alamein. This time, despite all efforts, the Germans were not able to break through the defenses of the British. At this time, General Montgomery was appointed commander of the 8th Army, who began to develop the next offensive plan, while successfully continuing to repel the attacks of the Nazi troops.
In October of that year, British troops dealt a powerful blow to the military units of Rommel, stationed near Al-Alamein. This entailed the complete defeat of two armies - Germany and Italy, which were forced to retreat to the borders of Tunisia. In addition, the Americans who landed on the African coast on November 8 came to the aid of the British. Rommel made an attempt to stop the allies, but she was unsuccessful. After this, the German general was recalled to his homeland.
Rommel was an experienced military leader, and his loss meant only one thing - the war in Africa ended in complete defeat for Italy and Germany. After that, Britain and the United States significantly strengthened their position in this region. In addition, they left the liberated troops for the subsequent capture of Italy.
The second half of the XX century
With the end of World War II, the confrontation in Africa did not end. One by one, uprisings broke out, which in some countries grew into full-scale hostilities. So, once the outbreak of civil war in Africa can last for years and even decades. An example of this is the domestic armed confrontation in Ethiopia (1974-1991), Angola (1975-2002), Mozambique (1976-1992), Algeria and Sierra Leone (1991-2002), Burundi (1993-2005), Somalia (1988 ) In the last of the above countries, the civil war has not ended so far. And this is only a small part of all the military conflicts that existed earlier and continue to this day on the African continent.
The reasons for the emergence of numerous military confrontations lie in the local specifics, as well as in the historical situation. Beginning in the 60s of the last century, most African countries gained independence, and in a third of them armed conflicts began immediately, and in the 90s hostilities were fought on the territory of 16 states.
Modern wars
This century, the situation on the African continent has not changed much. Here, a large-scale geopolitical reorganization is still ongoing, under the conditions of which there can be no question of any increase in the level of security in this region. The dire economic situation and the acute lack of finance only exacerbate the current situation.
Smuggling and illegal deliveries of weapons and drugs flourish here, which exacerbate the already rather difficult criminal situation in the region. Moreover, all this happens against the background of an extremely high population growth, as well as uncontrolled migration.
Conflict Localization Attempts
Now it seems that the war in Africa is endless. As practice has shown, international peacekeeping, trying to prevent numerous armed clashes on this continent, has been ineffective. For example, we can take at least the following fact: UN troops participated in 57 conflicts, and in most cases their actions did not affect their end.
As is generally believed, the blame for all the bureaucratic slowness of peacekeeping missions and poor awareness of the rapidly changing real situation. In addition, UN troops are extremely small and are withdrawn from war-torn countries even before a capable government begins to form there.