However , many new states were plagued by tribalism ; that is , rivalry between ethnic groups within the nation . This sometimes resulted in their near-disintegration , such as the attempt by Biafra to secede from Nigeria in 1970 , or the continuing demand of the Somali people in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia for complete independence . In Asia , the division of British India into India and Pakistan was in part due to ethnic differences , which might have been aided by other factors like colonial mismanagement of the situation . The Rwandan genocide as well as the recurrent problems experienced by the Sudan can also be related to a lack of ethnic , religious , or racial cohesion within the nation . It has often proved difficult to unite states with similar ethnic but different colonial backgrounds . Whereas some consider Cameroon to be an example of success , fractures are emerging in the form of the Anglophone problem . Failures like Senegambia Confederation demonstrate the problems of uniting Francophone and Anglophone territories
Rwandan genocide
Rwandan genocide
Nation-building