The resurgence and frequency of violent conflicts and tensions require analyses taking account of the factors that have shaped the history of ethnic identities and warring groups. Citing cultural differences as the ubiquitous precursor hinders such understanding. This fifteen-nation study of conflicts in Africa shows that the capacity or failure to manage such conflicts is determined by changes brought about by the trajectories of historical events. Colonialism erected structures that ruptured the dynamics which had controlled opposing inter-ethnic relations and interests. The post-colonial era witnessed further manipulation and disintegration of ethnic identities and groups, thus making the state central to the dynamics of ethnicity in Africa. The studies book explain how the positive and negative aspects are transformed in the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial histories of African states and groups.