How did past decisions made by european powers cause ethnic conflict in many new african nations?

creation of colonial boundaries and artificial borders

Explanation: The boundaries created in Africa by the European colonizers were made on a map which was based on the power of European countries and not what was best on the ground. As a result of this, many ethnic groups and regions in Africa were divided by these new boundaries which saw some opposing ethnic groups being forced to live together while some were split apart. These boundaries became the new borders which eventually led to conflict between the opposing groups.

These artificial borders created by the Europeans led to several ethnic conflicts which resulted in wars and battles between opposing religious groups and traditional beliefs.

Additionally, the Europeans had introduced new ways of doing things that affected the African cultural values and beliefs and by the time the Europeans left, the Africans had all but forgotten their traditional ways of living and had not received training from the europeans on the new ways which also led to several ethnic clashes.