Explain how are the boundaries established by European colonization a long-term cause of ethnic conflict in the region today.

The boundaries set by the European colonial powers are causing a continuous ethnic conflict in the countries that were granted independence. This is due to the borders being set by the will of the European countries, and very often they include multiple ethnic groups that have a history of bad blood between them, and they are in the same territory, so there's very often use of violence.

This has led to multiple parts of multiple countries to be controlled by paramilitary units, where people from certain ethnicity are not allowed to go, and if they do, usually end up dead.