Africa: A Continent in Turmoil CGG3O

Troubles in Africa As we’ve already learned, Africa is a beautiful continent that has seen more than its fair share of hardship Colonialism Poverty Disease Conflict Impacts of climate change

Troubles in Africa For many potential tourists, Africa is just too sketchy While some countries are relatively safe, others are extremely dangerous The government of Canada currently has travel advisories out for 30 African countries (there are about 47 countries in Africa)

Example: Nigeria “Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada advises against non-essential travel to Nigeria. The security situation in Nigeria is unpredictable and there is a significant risk of crime, inter-communal clashes, armed attacks, banditry, and kidnappings. There is a high threat of domestic terrorism in some states of Nigeria. Canadians in affected areas are urged to limit their essential movements to daylight hours, avoid all public gatherings, keep a supply of basic foods on hand, and monitor the security situation.”

Troubles in Africa Here is a quick overview of some of the major conflicts occurring in Africa over recent years There are many other countries that have had violence causing death tolls in the thousands, and causing tens of thousands of people to become refugees – it would take a whole course to look at all the problems and conflicts in Africa

Rwanda Rwanda is still struggling to deal with the aftermath of the genocide that engulfed the country in 1994, when Hutu extremists killed hundreds of thousands of people Most were hacked to death with machetes About 800,000 killed in 100 days Raped women living with HIV/AIDS The genocide also sowed the seeds for years of regional war that devastated neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Democratic Republic of Congo DRC’s five-year war officially ended in 2003, but the country is still regularly listed as the site of one of the world's worst humanitarian crises At least 5.4 million dead since 1998 from violence, hunger and disease caused or complicated by war In 2007 as many as 45,000 people were dying every month Current estimates are that an average of 48 women are raped every hour in DRC (over 8000 a week)

Darfur The United Nations has described Sudan's western Darfur region as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with an estimated 300,000 deaths and 1.9 million people displaced The conflict flared in 2003 when rebels in Darfur took up arms, and the government responded with a brutal counter-insurgency campaign Since then, civilians have come under attack from government troops, pro-government nomadic militia and rebel groups The majority of refugees are living in squalid camps in Darfur and neighbouring Chad

Liberia and Sierra Leone Former Liberian President Charles Taylor is on trial for atrocities committed in Sierra Leone during one of Africa's most horrific civil wars 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including acts of terrorism, murder, rape, enslavement, conscripting child soldiers, sexual slavery, pillage and outrages upon personal dignity More than 250,000 people died in intertwined wars in Liberia and neighbouring Sierra Leone which shocked the world with their brutality and images of drugged-up child soldiers killing and looting

Somalia War, anarchy, drought and floods have left hundreds of thousands of Somalis in need of aid in one of the world's poorest and most violent countries The country has had no functioning government since warlords from rival clans ousted military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, plunging the country into conflict

Somalia Aid agencies say the 15 km stretch of road between Mogadishu and Afgooye is probably the largest concentration of displaced people on the planet Somalia has the highest malnutrition rates in the world, and more than 2.8 million people need aid Food distribution is hindered by pirate attacks on sea deliveries, roadblocks and attacks on aid convoys Aid agencies rank Somalia one of the most dangerous places in the world to work, and few organisations base international staff there

Uganda Northern Uganda was the centre of a brutal, two-decade insurgency by a cult-like rebel group that saw 2 million people uprooted from their homes and tens of thousands kidnapped, mutilated or killed. More than 20,000 children abducted Over 70,000 people still in camps Violence and disease killed 1,000 a week at height of conflict Led by self-proclaimed mystic Joseph Kony, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is notorious for massacring civilians, slicing off the lips of survivors and kidnapping children for use as soldiers, porters and sex slaves

The Arab Spring The Arab Spring is the term commonly given to the wave of protests occurring in the Arab world beginning in December 2010 It effectively started with a revolution in Tunisia, which led to similar revolutions in Egypt and Libya Other African countries affected by demonstrations include Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Sudan, and Western Sahara Many demonstrations have met violent responses from authorities as well as from pro-government militias and counter-demonstrators

The Arab Spring

Tunisia Wave of protests erupted due to high unemployment, food inflation, corruption, a lack of freedom of speech and other political freedoms and poor living conditions Led to the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January Estimates are about 300 people killed

Libya Started in January with anti-government protests inspired by Tunisian revolution Turned into full-on civil war between rebels and forces loyal to dictator Muammar Gaddafi (finally captured and killed in October) No concrete figures – death toll could be as high as 30,000

Egypt Millions of protesters demanded an end to the regime of President Hosni Mubarak Mainly a campaign of non-violent civil resistance (demonstrations, marches, acts of civil disobedience, and labour strikes) Still, at least 846 people killed and 6,000 injured over the 18 day campaign (Mubarak ceded power on Feb. 10) Violent clashes between protestors and the military have started up again in recent weeks

So… There are many great things to see and do in Africa But it’s not always somewhere that many people are willing to go Tourism in the worst areas (the horn, central and western Africa) is only for the extremely brave/adventurous/crazy