Situating the Militariat

Abstract

Primus inter pares within subordinate strata, armed regulars and irregulars have routinely parlayed their guns into means of physical survival, consumption and, in some instances, criminal extraction. Cartesian rationalism may posit a contrary ontology but for the teeming ranks of the militariat in Africa, it is the gun that defines existence, rights, entitlements, and power. Armed subalterns derive a large measure of their self-worth, not to mention political clout, from their weapons. Guns, from this perspective, do not only kill and destroy; they also feed, clothe, house, and enrich those who resort to violence for personal gain. Predicating self-worth on weapons, however, increases the potential for confrontation between armed subalterns and the rest of society. This is because armed marginals, especially when they go on the rampage or during mutinies and coups, frequently act as though their needs and interests supercede those of the rest of society.