Published Article

ABSTRACT

Ethnic and communal conflicts remain significant obstacles to peace, social cohesion, and sustainable development in Nigeria, particularly in rural communities where historical grievances, territorial claims, and identity politics converge. This study examined the dynamics of ethnic and communal conflict in Akwa Ibom State using the Ikot Akpan Udo–Amazaba conflict (1996–2019) as a historical case study. Employing a historical research design, data were obtained from primary sources, including oral interviews, and secondary materials such as archival records, government documents, books, journal articles, and unpublished theses, which were analysed qualitatively through historical interpretation and source criticism. The study found that the conflict was driven by the interaction of unresolved historical grievances, competing claims to ancestral land ownership, ethnic identity, political interests, and economic competition over territorial resources. These factors collectively contributed to repeated cycles of violence, deepened mistrust between the communities, and undermined successive conflict resolution efforts. The findings further reveal that the persistence of the conflict resulted not only from boundary disagreements but also from institutional shortcomings and the failure to address the underlying historical and structural causes of the dispute. The study concludes that sustainable management of communal conflicts requires an integrated approach combining historical reconciliation, participatory boundary demarcation, inclusive governance, and community-driven peace-building initiatives. It contributes to the literature on communal conflict by providing a historically grounded analysis of one of Akwa Ibom State's most protracted boundary disputes while offering policy insights for conflict prevention and peaceful coexistence in multi-community societies.