Diamonds and Other Precious Stones in Armed Conflicts and Law Enforcement Co-operation in Southern Africa
Publisher: Institute for Security Studies
Author(s): Charles Goredema
Date: 2002
Topics: Extractive Resources, Governance
Countries: Angola, Congo (DRC)
“Southern Africa is home to two conflicts that have proved intractable. The civil wars in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to attract regional as well as international attention. Many countries have committed resources to facilitate enduring resolution of the conflicts. Yet, in spite of numerous peace talks and accords the conflicts continue, prompting questions about the good faith of some of the participants. There is a growing perception that peace efforts are being scuttled by the financial incentive offered by the trade in resources extracted from Angola and the DRC. The intransigence of some rebel groups and governments to terminate their involvement in the conflicts is increasingly being attributed to commercial interest in continued resource exploitation. The resources have, therefore, been called ‘conflict’ or ‘blood’ resources. Multinational, multi-pronged strategies to deprive perceived beneficiaries of the benefits of conflict resources, which commenced in the late nineties, are gathering pace.”