People Involved in African Conflicts

Many children have lost limbs to landmines placed by warring factions in sub-Saharan Africa.

From Algeria to Zimbabwe, the continent of Africa has been embroiled in conflict for decades. With millions dead and even more displaced, many of the conflicts rage on with no relief in sight. The causes of the conflicts include overpopulation, the legacy of western colonialization and internecine power struggles. For many Africans, living with the terror and violence of continual war is the only life they've known.

Cote d'Ivoire

In Cote d'Ivoire, the source of conflict is the November 2010 election between President Laurent Gbagbo and the opposition candidate, Alassane Ouattara. Though international observers believe Ouattara was the winner, Gbagbo refused to step down. The conflict has erupted into full civil war with hundreds of civilians dead and international observers claiming massive human rights violations. An estimated one million people have been displaced and many have crossed into neighboring Liberia. On April 11, 2011, Ouattara was captured by rebel forces.

The Democratic Republic of Congo

Considered the deadliest conflict since World War II, the fighting in the DRC has killed approximately 5.4 million people. Since fighting began here in 1997, eight nations and many rebel factions have been involved in the fighting. Once a ruthlessly exploited Belgian colony, the Democratic Republic of Congo has a population of 68 million people, comprised of 200 different ethnic groups distributed throughout 2 million square miles. The country is rich in natural resources, including agricultural lands, diamonds, copper and gold.

Angola

A conflict begun during the Cold War continues to rage in this country between government (MPLA) forces and UNITA rebels. No longer supported by the Soviets or the United States, the combatants finance their struggle (and fatten their leaders' personal bank accounts) by selling oil and diamonds to international businesses and plundering the country. Though the country is fabulously rich in natural resource, most Angolans live in crushing poverty, living on handouts from international humanitarian groups.

Sudan

Though a peace agreement to end this country's decades-long civil war has been signed, brutality against civilians in the western region of Darfur continues. A tribal militia known as the Janjaweed has repeatedly attacked non-Arab civilians in this region in what humanitarian groups have characterized as an attempt to ethnically cleanse the area. Nearby countries that were instrumental in the peace accord are hesitant to punish the Khartoum government for its support of the Janjaweed because they are afraid it could undermine the peace process.

North Africa

In December 2010, a Tunisian fruit vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest after being slapped and humiliated by police. By the time Bouazizi died from his burns, protests against the government of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali had erupted throughout the country. In weeks, the president was forced into exile and a wave of similar protests erupted throughout North Africa and the Middle East. As of 2011, there have been popular uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Yemen, Syria, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Morocco. Generally, protesters in the region are demanding political and social reforms, and the end of repressive, autocratic rule.

References

• Crimes of War Project; Resolving African Conflicts; Tom Porteous; October 2004
• EssentialAfrica.com: Côte d'Ivoire Conflict; Hundreds Killed and a Million Displaced; April 2011
• Essential Africa.com: Introduction to Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Flashpoints: Guide to World Conflicts: Conflict Briefings
• "International Business Times"; The Story of Mohamed Bouazizi, the Man who Toppled Tunisia; January 2011