Averting Environmental Crisis and conflict Prevention over Natural

Resources
As a result of the escalating environmental degradation. Up to 25% of the world food
production may be come lost during this century
due to climate change, water scarcity, invasive
pests and land degradation.
The environment is indisputably becoming a
contested terrain - an arena of community
resistance against the exploitative and polluting
activities of some, often aggravated by political
intervention.

Disputes over natural resources in Africa have indeed exacerbated over the last few
decades and often occur as a result of pressure exerted by overpopulation on a
shrinking natural resource. This in return leads to overuse, unfair and unequal
distribution and mismanagement of the said resources.

In Kenya, for example, a dispute over whether settlers in the Mau Forest Complex
should be evicted or not is still pending. Politicians are still haggling over it while the
negative impacts of climate change on the region are there for all to see. The levels of
water in Lake Victoria have started receding and rumblings are heard from Egyptians
who are raising the possibility of a conflict with the communities living downstream
of the Mau forest.

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Late last year, the Maasai in Kenya in turn fought with communities upstream
protesting over lack of sufficient water for their livestock during the dry season,
which they claim to have been caused by over extraction by upstream communities.

In Somalia, conflict over water and pasture by nomads are a great challenge that
needs to be tackled by authorities in the region. It is feared that such conflicts could in
the future develop from tribal to regional wars. May be the ongoing Policy
Framework on pastoralism in Africa by African Union and United Nations that will
begin to secure and protect the lives, livelihood and rights of pastoralists across Africa
will address this.

Another example is the conflict over oil in the Niger delta. Nigeria is considered one
of Africa's richest countries, having raked in more than $250 billion in oil revenues
since its independence in 1960. The largest of the
Delta's ethnic groups say that the country's oil revenue
is mismanaged by politicians and they are determined
to control the oil resource - a move that resulted in
conflicts between oil multi-nationals, the community
and the government. This is confirmed in numerous
reports by the anti-corruption Transparency
International that blames continuous corruption in
natural resource management for the poverty in
Nigeria.
Sudan has also experienced conflict over oil amid a production of several thousand
barrels a day.
Meanwhile The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Angola and
Liberia's lucrative mineral resources, especially diamonds, have fueled ongoing
conflicts. These countries have all experienced horrific civil wars in recent decades
due to conflict over ownership of resources.

It is unfortunate to note that even despite international interventions, community strife

over resources has widened. Additionally, the impact of climate change is visible in
arising conflicts over water. In 2008, Ugandan soldiers opened fire on Turkana

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herdsmen for taking their cattle beyond the border - an action viewed by the
government as illegal, however the hostility is likely to be another consequence of
environmental climate change. It is predicted that such conflicts would rise due to the
increasing competition for diminishing natural resources coupled with the effects of
negative climate change and population pressure.

In view of the above, it is imperative that innovative approaches should be developed

to address the complex problems and processes that are considered to be the potential
cause of natural resource access conflicts in African countries, and particularly those
that relate to shared water resources like rivers, lakes, and underground water
aquifers. Fortunately the 5th World Water Forum that was held in Istanbul in March
last year addressed issues related to International water conflicts. The UN Expert
Group Meeting on Natural Resources and Conflict in Africa in 2006 had given cross-
cutting recommendations to African States, the African Union, the International
Community and Civil Society to ensure transformation of what has become a peace
liability to a peace asset in Africa, most of which are yet to be adopted.

Special attention should be given to people in marginalized areas - especially Arid

and Semi Arid Lands to ensure that their problems, which range from scarcity of
water to pasture for their animals, are addressed. Experts are of the view that Arid and
Semi Arid lands communities should be equipped with climate change adaptation
strategies to enable them to successfully confront the challenges caused by
environmental changes.

Averting environmental crisis can only be achieved when all country role players
make deliberate efforts towards the same goal of preventing further future
environmental conflicts. Strategically, governments and other environmental agencies
should ensure that less stress is placed on the "natural resource bank" and that
potential global human security frameworks on resource management should be
formulated collectively taking into consideration population growth dynamics.

Educating the next generation is essential to conserving Africa's fragile environmental

balance and preventing further conflicts. Most development policies being

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implemented up to date were based purely on economic needs and did not foresee the
environmental consequences. This should be a top priority for all policy makers in the
world.

By Audu Hassan Dogo.

 

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