Too few conflict resolution negotiations address the natural resource issues that are often among the reasons for the conflict. This paper recommends giving greater attention to economic dimensions of conflicts and suggests how mediators might address this issue. Recommended actions include avoiding vested interests when choosing mediators and carefully mapping warring parties’ economic agendas and alliances.
A recent United Nations Environment Programme study reports that 40 per cent of all intrastate conflicts since 1960 are linked to natural resources. Less than a quarter of conflict peace agreements with links to natural resources address management and governance of natural resources. Intrastate conflicts linked to natural resources are twice as likely to recur within five years.
Resource-conflict scenarios can be loosely grouped into two overlapping categories: those where contest for resources has a bearing on the start of conflict and those where ‘lootable’ resources are used during conflict as a source of financing.
Why are natural resources not more prominent in peace agreements? What are the consequences if natural resources are inadequately addressed in peace agreements?
- Mediators may be predisposed to prioritising political and security-related issues.
- Since mediators face practical constraints in terms of their mandates, there is a perception that economic issues are best addressed after peace agreements.
- Mediators are sensitive to the problems of discussing the profit motives of parties involved in the conflict.
- Maintaining control of resources may be important to warring parties as a way of maintaining the loyalty of their supporters. Warring parties who leave the negotiating table with control of natural resources have the financial means to resume fighting.
- Peace agreements that do not address natural resource issues leave major causes of conflict unresolved; relapse into conflict occurs.
- Peace agreements that treat natural resources as spoils to be divided between competing elites may inadvertently introduce, or reintroduce, a form of money politics based on capture of state assets.
Choosing mediators who have vested interests should be avoided. In addition, mediators should:
- Map the parties’ economic agendas and relationships at the outset of negotiation preparations.
- Avoid establishing arrangements that foster renewed elite capture of natural resources.
- Design peace agreements that establish institutional mechanisms to oversee implementation of natural resource management.
- Place limits on transitional government tenure and on their authority to allocate resource-exploitation rights to themselves or third parties.
- Take natural resources off the table completely by having resource-rich areas secured by peacekeepers.
- Ensure that those responsible for economic crimes are held accountable.
