A major cause of disruption and conflict in Africa south of the Sahara is undoubtedly what is termed "the ethnic problem." Given the impossibility of reaching the level of development to which Africa aspires if social peace and political stability are not secured, the resolution of the ethnic problem emerges as a sine qua non of development. As one scholar puts it, "the ethnic heterogeneity of African states is frequently cited as a basic obstacle to modernization."1 What is more, since the lower the pace of development, the higher the intensity of the ethnic conflict becomes— which further retards economic progress—Africa seems to be engulfed in a vicious circle fraught with promises of still deeper crises and disruptions. The resolution of the ethnic problem is therefore imperative if Africa is to get back on the right track.