The most accurate response that captures how colonial powers used social identities to maintain control over Indigenous populations in African colonies is:
3 Colonial governments exploited existing social hierarchies in their colonies based on social identities, such as race and ethnicity. These hierarchies allowed them to capitalize on existing group rivalries and keep social groups within the indigenous population fighting with one another rather than against their colonial rulers.
This response highlights the colonial strategy of manipulating existing divisions among Indigenous groups to weaken collective resistance against colonial rule. By fostering rivalries, colonial powers were able to maintain control more effectively.