Since the early 1990s, parts of Afri-ca’s Great Lakes Region have expe-rienced political strife, armed con-flict and population displacements withsevere humanitarian consequences. De-spite great progress towards sustainablepeace in all the countries of the region,sporadic violence continues in some ar-eas, particularly in the Eastern DemocraticRepublic of Congo (DRC). Conflicts in theGreat Lakes Region are highly interlinked,with political and military alliances, refu-gee movements, and ethnic solidarities ty-ing the fates of the countries of the re-gion. Processes to resolve and pre-emptviolent conflict in all these countries arevital in order to bring regional peace.While violent conflicts in the regionhave clearly revolved around politicalstruggles for the control of the state, gen-erally involving the mobilization of eth-nic identities, recent research has pointedto the significance of environmental vari-ables in triggering and sustaining strug-gles for power in the region. The impor-tance of these variables has recently beentested empirically by the African Centrefor Technology Studies (ACTS) under aproject entitled “Ecological Sources ofConflict in Sub-Saharan Africa”. Researchwas undertaken in Rwanda, Burundi,DRC, Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia; andpublished in June 2002 in a book entitledScarcity and Surfeit: The Ecology of Afri-ca’s Conflicts. The research revealed theurgent need to incorporate ecologicalconcerns in regional and internationalefforts at conflict prevention, managementand resolution. Chapters of the book areavailable in electronic form on the ACTSpublications webpage, https://www.acts-net.org/publications/books
Authors and Publishers
Christopher Huggins
Our Vision: Knowledge for better livelihoods.
Our Mission: To strengthen the capacity and policies of African countries and institutions to harness science, technology and innovation for sustainable development.
Our Value Proposition
Data provider
The LAND Project is a five year program supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Its primary goal is strengthening the resilience of Rwandan citizens, communities and institutions and their ability to adapt to land-related economic, environmental and social changes.