An Exploration of Conflict in Central Africa: The Role of Resources in the Prevention of Peace (Case of Dr. Congo)

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

1.1.Background of the Study1

1.2.Rationale of the Study3

1.3.Problem Statement3

1.4.Aims and Objectives3

1.5.Research Questions4

1.6.Outline of the Study4

REFERENCES6

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Natural resources are referred as substances or materials which can be utilized by living being for the economic or personal gain. The resources might include water, minerals, fertile land, and forests. These are found within the environment across the universe. Africa is also among the continents rich of natural resources, which includes petroleum, gold, copper, oil, iron, tropical fruits, woods, cacao beans and much more (Le Billon, 2001, pp. 564). On one side, it provides lot of opportunities for the countries to explore natural resources within their respective territories and have a source of revenue for their economy, while on the side; natural resources are also responsible for the conflicts among the nations because of being distributed unequally across the globe. Similarly, Central Africa has also faced numerous conflicts that have been aroused due to natural resources.

There include some first-order issues related to natural resources, which represents the resources that are essential for the survival of human being. These natural resources include water, energy fossils, the ores, and arable land. Since, natural resources have become a source of financial value and exploring them improves the living standards of the society, therefore, it has also increased conflicts for the countries to explore and acquire them (Montague, 2002, pp. 105). Various countries in Africa including Republic of Congo, Angola, Nigeria, and Chad have been the victim of natural resources conflicts, which were so violent in nature. Other non-violent form of conflicts has also been witnessed in countries including Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon.

The major conflicts related to natural resources include the extraction of these resources, distribution of revenues which has been gathered from exploiting those resources and the extent to which local population have been involved in the development decisions (Herbst, 2000, pp. 272). In addition to that, warring parties of some of the countries in Africa are very badly in need of acquiring money through the exploration of natural resources, and thus creates another conflict between the regulatory bodies within the country (Humphreys, 2005, pp. 521). Oil is the natural resource which has resulted in most of the conflicts due to its value. It has been associated with most f the civil conflicts which have been resulted due to the large rents to be paid to the government for its exploration and development (Ross, 2004, pp. 41).

The conflicts are divided into various types, which could be classified as separatist conflicts, inter-states conflicts, and state-level conflicts. Separatist conflicts are the conflicts in which local communities are being involved in disagreements with the companies. Inter-states conflicts include disagreement among the regulatory bodies within a particular state, whereas, state-level conflicts include disagreements between the states (Le Billon, 2001, pp. 569). The problem with the exploitation of natural resources and is that a significant part of wealth ...