Conflict in africa was largely the result of a system under which an outside government take control of an area for its own benefit. balkanization, urbanization, colonization, ethnic cleansing

The answer is colonization.  Many European countries took control of the African continent and used its manpower and resources for their own benefit.  What is worse is the way they treated the people who lived there by making them servants in their own homes.  Some European countries still exert influence in the region even though many African countries gained their independence.