I was actually thinking of this very issue. I used to work with a Nigerian (from the Christian part) and this was one of his favorite subjects. If it happens in Europe, it's a "war." If it happens in Africa, it's a "tribal conflict." Sort-of like how something that is "ethnic violence" in Europe or N. America becomes a "pogrom" in the fSU. (Using "pogrom" in the English, not Russian, sense of the term.)
--- On Mon, 9/8/08, Wendy Lyon <wendy.lyon at gmail.com> wrote:
> This is not unrelated to the observation that conflicts in
> Africa are
> usually described as "tribal" while conflicts in
> Europe are usually
> described as "ethnic".
>