How does ecology influence conflict in Africa and how does this affect strategies for conflict management and prevention? This report from the African Centre for Technology Studies’ journal ‘Eco- Conflicts’, is a synthesis of presentations and discussions at the consultative session and 2002 regional conference on the ecological soucres of conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa. It sets out the background to conflict in Africa; assesses the role of Africa’s rich and contested ecology in conflict, using studies from the Southern Sudan, Rwanda and Somalia; and outlines preliminary recommendations gathered at the meetings.
Key findings included:
- Colonial and post colonial external influences on Africa have reduced the capacity of many societies in Africa to adjust to ecological and economic shocks and led to the economic and political exclusion of many groups
- The high cultural value placed on land by many African social groups plays a major role in conflict, and the social organisation of these groups is often heavily influenced by their adaption to a particular ecological niche
- Analytical and policy attention to the role of ecology in conflict must recognise the broader political and economic context in which ecological factors are embedded.
The report therefore recommends:
- Strengthening the land and resource rights of the rural poor
- Incorporating the meaningful participation of civil society actors in conflict prevention and management strategies
- Blending tried and tested traditional African methods of conflict management with more modern methods which reflect the increasingly complex influences of wider political and economic factors
- Levelling the playing field on which policies and processes for preventing and managing conflict are negotiated by increasing the social capital of peace partners in the private sector, civil society and government.
(Adapted from an Eldis summary – www.eldis.org)
