Egbesu: An African Just War Philosophy and Practice

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article presents Egbesu as both a philosophy and a practice of war. Currently, Egbesu is known as a spiritual instrument of warfare that vaccinates Ijaw fighters against bullets. Since the 1990s, Ijaw youths from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria have been engaged in inter-ethnic as well as oil-related conflict with the federal government. Reporting on data collected from participant observation and interviews with relevant authorities, we present Egbesu as a ‘just war’ philosophy, a set of war ethics delineating the criteria for a just cause of war (jus ad bellum), just conduct during war (jus in bello) and just actions after war (jus post bellum), that also establishes a reward system through the promise of victory for just warriors. The promise of victory seems to be the essence of the conception of Egbesu as a spiritual instrument for victory in warfare, translated into immunity to bullets and other enemy weapons. The Egbesu war philosophy has long been preserved in Ijaw culture through oral tradition. This article draws on interviews with custodians of Ijaw culture and Ijaw foot soldiers (militants), along with extensive participant observations conducted by the first author (Courson).