What to do with African Conflicts

1
What to do with African Conflicts

• How does the world deal with present day
  conflicts that are influenced by the past?

2
(No Transcript)
3
African Politics before European Rule

• Prior to WWII, the tribe (ethnic group) was the
  traditional political unit
• Tribes were used as intermediary groups to pass
  on rules and requirements for the European
  colonial systems
• Independence movements in the 1960s created
  national unity
• Many of the political problems today are
  conflicts from cultural traditions and effects of
  years of colonial rule.

4
United Nations an international peacekeeping
organization

• Established on October 24, 1945 by 51 countries
  committed to preserving peace through
  international cooperation and collective
  security.
• 1st UN mission Arab Israeli partition in 1947
• Today, nearly every nation in the world belongs
  to the UN 192 countries.
• When States become Members of the UN, they agree
  to accept the obligations of the UN Charter, an
  international treaty that sets out basic
  principles of international relations.

5
United Nations

• The United Nations has six main organs. Five of
  them General Assembly, Security Council,
  Economic and Social Council, Trusteeship Council
  and Secretariat - based at UN Headquarters in New
  York. The sixth - International Court of Justice,
  is located at The Hague -Netherlands.
• UN has four purposes
• maintain international peace and security
• develop friendly relations among nations
• cooperate in solving international problems and
  in promoting respect for human rights
• be a center for harmonizing the actions of
  nations.
• Three stages to conflict resolution
• 1. Diplomacy outside party arranges
  negotiations
• 2. Use of Sanctions economic boycotts,
  embargoes, trade restrictions, barred from
  international events (Olympics)
• 3. Threat or use of force

6
Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• Article 2 Everyone is entitled to all the rights
  and freedoms set forth in this declaration,
  without distinction of any kind, such ascolor,
  sex, languagenational or social origin,
  property, birth or other status.
• Article 5 No one shall be subjected to torture
  or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
  punishment.
• Article 9 No one shall be subjected to arbitrary
  arrest, detention, or exile
• Article 13 Everyone has the right to leave any
  country, including his own, and to return to his
  country
• Article 18 Everyone has the right to freedom of
  thought, conscience, and religion.
• Article 20 Everyone has the right to freedom of
  peaceful assembly and association.
• Article 21 Everyone has the right to take part
  in the government of his country, directly or
  through freely chosen representatives

7
Reasons for U.N. involvement in Sub Saharan Africa

• Colonial rule created numerous issues throughout
  Sub-Saharan Africa, and currently 8 of 16 U.N.
  peacekeeping missions are in Africa. The
  following have been the most urgent and
  devastating.

8
Somalia

• Only the dead have seen the end of war.
• --Plato

9
Somalia 1992

• Years of warfare among rival clans caused famine
  on a biblical scale. 300,000 civilians died of
  starvation.
• Mohamed Farrah Aidid, the most powerful of the
  warlords, ruled the capital Mogadishu.
• Aidid seized international food shipments at the
  ports. Hunger was his weapon.

10
April 1993

• The world responded. Behind a force of 20,000
  United States Marines, food was delivered and
  order restored.
• Aidid waited until the Marines withdrew, and then
  declared war on the remaining United Nations
  peacekeepers.
• In June, Aidids militia ambushed and slaughtered
  24 Pakistani Soldiers, and began targeting
  American personnel.

11

• In late August, Americans elite soldiers, Delta
  Force, Army Rangers and the 160th SOAR were sent
  to Mogadishu to remove Aidid and restore order.
• The mission was to take three weeks, but six
  weeks later Washington was growing impatient.

12
Saturday, October 2, 1993

• At a Red Cross Food Distribution Center unarmed
  civilians were fired upon.
• This food is the property of Mohamed Farrah
  Aidid. Go back to your homes.
• Delta Force was advised not to assist because
  they were not being fired upon themselves.
• Black Hawk Down

13
The Result

• The situation became dire when in one attempt to
  capture Aidid two Black Hawk helicopters were
  shot down, and a firefight ensued.
• The situation proved to be disastrous for the
  U.S. and created reluctance to enter Africa in
  the future.
• Today Somalia still suffers from severe
  governmental and economic instability.

14
Rwanda/Burundi
15

• Rwanda and Burundi were torn by ethnic strife
  since independence from Belgium in 1962. Hutus
  make up 85 of population, Tutsis 15. Hutus were
  farmers, Tutsis were more aristocratic.

16

• Belgians gave Tutsis more land rights, gave
  privileges and government jobs solely to them.
  When Belgium lost control in 1962, it tried to
  set up a Tutsi government.
• When the Belgians left there was a power vacuum
  both Hutus and Tutsis wanted to fill. The area
  split into two
• Rwanda controlled by Hutus
• Burundi controlled by Tutsis

17

• In 1990, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), Tutsi
  rebels exiled in Uganda, attempted to overthrow
  the Hutu-led Rwandan government.
• UN peacekeepers were called in to quell the
  violence. Peace accords were signed in Aug.
  1993, but after a plane crash killed the
  presidents of both Rwanda and Burundi,
  deep-seated ethnic violence erupted.
• 11 UN peacekeepers were executed because they
  were in the way.

18

• Armed with grenades, AK-47s, and in some areas
  only machetes, Hutus slaughtered an estimated
  800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu sympathizers in
  100 days.
• Tutsis were told by radio to stay in their homes
  while a 30,000-member militia group (Interahamwe)
  ravaged through neighborhoods, and ordinary Hutus
  located and killed their Tutsi neighbors.
• The killings went 5 times faster than the Nazis
  killed in WWII.
• The genocidal slaughter has been shown to have
  been carefully orchestrated by the Hutu
  government in advance.

19

• Despite horrific reports of genocide, no other
  country came to the Tutsi's assistance. The UN,
  already stationed in Rwanda withdrew soon after
  their 11 soldiers were killed.
• A Tutsi rebel force, the Rwandan Patriotic Front,
  swept across the country in a 14-week civil war
  that overtook the Hutu extremists
• Resulted in 1.7 million Hutu refugees in the
  Congo.

20

• Today Hutus and Tutsis live side by side and try
  to deal with their past. The United States and
  others are dealing with the fact that the
  atrocities were allowed to go on for so long.
• Video Clips Hotel Rwanda

21
Congo
22
Democratic Republic of the Congo

• The United Nations used force for the 1st time in
  the Congo
• Congo was a Belgian colony.
• Congo was given but not ready for independence.
• Government fractured and Europeans were
  targeted. Belgium troops illegally intervened.
• 10,000 UN Security Council troops were called in
  to restore order.

23

• Tribal leaders fought for control over the
  central government.
• UN forces were sent in as well as foreign
  mercenaries who protected Western mining company
  interests.
• A corrupt government was soon established under a
  man named Joseph Mobutu, whom the US supported
  because of his anti-Soviet position.
• The country was then named Zaire. He was not a
  good leader.

24

• In1996, Mobutu was overthrown and country was
  renamed Democratic Republic of Congo.

25

• Today, ethnic groups from neighboring Uganda,
  Rwanda, and Burundi are all vying for control
  over the country.
• The presidents of Rwanda and
• the DRC have organized military operations to
  disarm those rebels groups.
• In the Kivus, violence continues to rage with
  women and girls suffering increasingly brutal
  attacks. (IRC)
• Many groups also use child soldiers.

26

• Conflict and humanitarian crisis in the
  Democratic Republic of Congo have caused an
  estimated 5.4 million deaths since 1998. (IRC)
• The vast majority were not killed in combat. Most
  tragically died from malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia
  and malnutrition--easily preventable and
  treatable conditions when people have access to
  health care and nutritious food. (IRC)

27
Sudan

• Sudan has been at war with itself for more than
  three-quarters of its existence

28

• The First Sudanese Civil war took place from
  1955-1972 and was between the north and south.
• The Second Sudanese Civil War started in 1983 and
  continued until peace was negotiated in 2005.
• The Second Sudanese Civil War was also between
  the Muslim North and the Animist and Christian
  South.
• During this twenty year civil war, more than two
  million people were killed and more than four
  million have been displaced.

29

• The Lost Boys of Sudan are a group of boys
  (although girls were also displaced and targeted)
  ages as young as 6 years old walked a distance
  equivalent to walking from Denver to Chicago.
• It took 3 months and over half were killed or
  captured.
• Video Clip God Grew Tired of Us

30
Sudan and the Darfur

• Answer the next 4 questions from the video
• Video clip Devil Came on Horseback

31

• The Darfur region of the Sudan is an area the
  size of France in the west. The Muslim dominated
  northern government feared the southern rebel
  groups. An agreement was soon reached in 2003.

32

• In 2003, people in the Darfur wanted certain
  rights. The government in Khartoum feared this,
  and hired the Janjaweed(devil on horseback) to
  exterminate the black African groups in the
  Darfur.

33
The Janjaweed enter villages to rape, burn, and
slaughter.
34
According to BBC news, the death toll is
estimated at 300,000 with close to 2 million
displaced in refugee camps in Chad where disease
and famine runs rampant. The Sudanese government
disagrees. They estimate 10,000 deaths.
35

• Today, reporters and Humanitarian aid has been
  blocked by the Sudanese government so that very
  few images of what is happening can be captured.

36
Modern Slavery in Sudan
37

• While there are no public auctions, modern
  slavery does exist in Sudan.
• Several thousand have been enslaved in Sudan in
  the past ten years.
• Often, the northern forces seize the southern
  Animists. They are used as forced labor, often
  sexually exploited and in some cases sold to
  other masters.
• The government denies that slavery exists and it
  is technically against the law. However, the
  government tends to look the other way. They use
  slavery as a way to rid themselves of their
  enemies.

38

• Modern slavery is still an issue in Sudan(3),
  Togo(3), South Africa (2w), Niger(2w),
  Mauritania(2), Benin(2w), The Gambia(2w), Sierra
  Leone(2w), Rwanda(2w)
• They are sold for 20-70 in poorer countries and
  around 350 in richer countries.

39
From Military Engagements to Engagement Rings

• Tracing The Path of Conflict Diamonds

40
Where Are Diamonds Found?

• Rough diamonds can either be found below the
  earths surface through industrial mining, or in
  river beds and streams through alluvial mining.
• Most of the diamond deposits currently mined in
  places such as Sierra Leone and Angola are
  alluvial, requiring only a shovel, a pan, and
  hard labor.

41
The Illusion of Scarcity

• Diamonds had only been found in river beds in
  India and Brazil. In 1870, however, diamond
  deposits were discovered in South Africa,
  allowing unprecedented numbers of diamonds to
  enter the open market.
• Diamond investors formed De Beers Consolidated
  Mines, Ltd. to help control diamond production,
  and created the illusion of scarcity.

42
The Illusion of Scarcity

• The price of diamonds depends on the perceived
  scarcity. If diamonds are perceived as being
  rare, diamond prices will remain high. If new
  diamonds flood the market, prices will plummet.
  The average diamond ring is marked up 100 to
  200.

43
The Illusion of Scarcity

• Through its enormous wealth, power, and
  influence, De Beers buys large amounts of
  diamonds when countries attempt to flood the
  market.
• Because of De Beers, the price of diamonds has
  remained steady despite civil wars and conflict.

44
Easily Exploitable Resource

• In areas like Sierra Leone river mining allows
  easy access to quality rough diamonds. This
  artificially high price has encouraged rebels to
  take control of diamond mining areas in hopes of
  making a substantial profit.
• Rebel groups such as the RUF (Revolutionary
  United Front), force civilians to mine for
  diamonds.
• Rebel groups use profits from diamond sales (up
  to 300 million a year) to buy more weapons and
  supplies to sustain their military endeavors.

45
Diamonds Fund Conflicts

• In the 90s over 6 million people from Sierra
  Leone, Angola, Liberia, and the Democratic
  Republic of the Congo became refugees being
  forced from their homes by diamond fueled
  conflict. Millions more have died from conflicts.
• Rebel cruelty is well documented, and includes
  abduction and training of child soldiers,
  amputation, abduction of males as diamond mine
  workers, and use of rape as a tool of war.
• Diamond profits allow for prolonged conflict and
  increased human rights abuses in conflict areas

46
A Diamond is Forever

• In 1947 De Beers launched its A Diamond Is
  Forever marketing campaign in the United States.
  
• Goals included convincing people 1. Diamonds are
  rare and 2. Diamonds are so meaningful they can
  never be parted with a man should spend at least
  a months salary for an engagement ring.
• De Beers encouraged jewelers to loan diamonds to
  Hollywood stars for events, associating diamonds
  with wealth, power, prestige, and celebrity.
• The United States - largest market for diamond
  jewelry, buying nearly half of the 56 billion in
  diamonds sold last year.

47
International Initiative The Kimberley Process

• In 2003, the Kimberley Process was introduced to
  help stem the flow of conflict diamonds.
• The Kimberley Process a voluntary initiative
  that requires participants to certify that
  shipments of rough diamonds are conflict free.
• The diamond industry also voluntarily agreed to
  implement a System of Warranties to help trace
  rough diamonds from mining to point of sale.
• Despite UN arms embargoes and the Kimberley
  Process, the illegal sale of diamonds remains a
  profitable business in some areas.

48
Too Many to Count Other countries in Africa that
suffer with conflict

• Territorial Disputes
• SUDAN Eritrean government supporting rebel
  forces in southern Sudan
• ERITREA war between Ethiopia and Eritrea
  concerning exact demarcation of the border around
  the town of Badme in a triangle of about 2,000
  sq. km
• ETHIOPIA fighting Eritrea and involved in
  Somali conflict supporting different war lords
  than Eritrea does
• DJIBOUTI demarcation of border between Eritrea
  UN peacekeepers there
• UGANDA A group called the LRA under the
  leadership of Joseph Koney attack tribes in
  northern provinces.
• Ethnic Disputes
• SOMALIA 26 clan regions
• ANGOLA fighting between clans and for oil rich
  province independence
• NAMIBIA supports Kabila government in Congo and
  has run into conflict with Angola who supports
  new government expensive in s and manpower
• ZIMBABWE 14,000 forces in Congo to protect
  commercial interest of small group of Zimbabweans
  brink of popular revolt if policy is not
  changed