Not Only Intemperate Languages But Also Unfair Distribution

NOT ONLY INTEMPERATE LANGUAGES BUT ALSO UNFAIR DISTRIBUTION OF NATION’S

RESOURCE IS A THREAT TO PEACE

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”

The possession of natural resources within most Africa countries has always

been a source of grief and unhappiness to its citizens. On the positive

side, in some countries, such as Botswana, where the possession of these

resources is sustainably and wisely managed, the nation has gained economic

blessings and much-needed foreign exchange earnings. It is often argued

that Botswana avoided conflict over resources by distributing its benefits

equitably within the population. However, in African countries where the

management of natural resources is weak, the future of the nation is at the

risk to degenerate into zones of chaos. Most conflicts in Africa started

as clashes over access and control of natural resources. An example is the

blood diamond war in Sierra Leone where "rebel" terrorists of the

Revolutionary United Front (RUF) chopped off thousands of civilian hands,

feet and ears and thousands more men, women, children were slaughtered and

left to rot in village streets. In August 1998, like many African

countries, Congo experienced war which eventually ended in 2003 as a result

of access and control of water resources and rich minerals. The war took

over 3 million people lives due to disease and starvation. More than 2

million people became refugees. Many women were raped due to intimidation,

resulting in a rapid spread of sexually transmitted diseases such as

HIV-AIDS. National parks housing endangered species were exploited

together with minerals and other resources. T he Refugees hunted wildlife

for bush meat. Elephant populations seriously declined as a result of ivory

poaching. A survey by the WWF showed that the hippopotamus population in

one national park decreased from 29,000 thirty years previously, to only

900 in 2005. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO) listed all five parks as ‘world heritage in

danger’. Another

scenario is the Niger delta conflicts which took place around 1990(s). The

oil-rich Delta region of Nigeria was plagued with political instability,

weak governance, and continuous conflict, which has made local communities

in the Niger Delta remain as some of the poorest communities in the

world. Conflict

in Nigeria was worsened by competition for oil – both between

multi-national corporations and the Nigerian Government. As a result, fish

stocks have been negatively affected, mostly due to the regular oil spills

and leakages from the pipelines in the Niger Delta. Furthermore, Nigeria’s

wetland areas have also been damaged. In addition, frequent disruptions –

such as seditious attacks on oil pipelines by the Movement for the

Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) – characterize the Niger Delta.

It has been reported that nature and location of natural resources to some

extent influence the occurrence of war. Two main types of resources have

been identified. First, there are *point resources* such as minerals; these

are non-renewable, geographically concentrated and their extraction

requires little labour input. Second, there are *diffuse resources* such as

soils and water, these are renewable and geographically spread and they are

used in the production of crops and livestock usually mobilizing large

amounts of labour. The argument is that countries that are abundant in

point resources are more likely to experience conflict than countries that

experience only diffuse resources, especially when the later also undertake

land reform. For example, in Congo-Brazzaville where there is one mineral

resource, offshore oil, it was necessary for the rebels to capture the

capital city, the centre of the state apparatus, and the main port,

Ponte-Noire during the 1997 civil war. In contrast, Angola’s two mineral

resources, offshore oil and alluvial* *diamonds in the interior*, *enabled

both the MPLA government and Unita rebels to engage in a protracted

conflict for decades. In Liberia and Sierra Leone, the diversity of

resources and their geographical spread led to the development of warlords

and a highly fragmented conflict between a weak government and numerous

armed groups controlling resources in the interior.

Ghana is endowed with so many natural resources such as gold, bauxite,

diamond, timber, fishery, rich national parks et cetera and has currently

been blessed with oil; which often referred to “black gold” due to its

significant value, surprisingly, the required development that we hope

these resources would brought us continues to be illusive. Has Ghana

really learned her lessons from other African countries?

Unlike many other Africa countries, Ghana has seen peace since independence

and continues to safeguard this peace before, during and after this year’s

election. Campaign against factors such as ethnicity, violence and the use

of intemperate language which have currently characterized our politics has

been initiated to condemn such practices in order to protect the peace of

this nation in the upcoming election. However, it must be noted that,

inequitable distribution of natural resources in a nation could also bring

about civil war. It is against this background that, the underdeveloped

regions of Ghana such as northern and Volta and so forth should be given

the needed attention. The unfortunate thing is that these natural

resources-endowed regions are among poorest regions in Ghana; however

proper management of any natural resources must first seek to benefit the

resource dweller. Initiative like Savannah Accelerated Development

Authority (SADA) by government is great. Resource managers of this project

should be moved by the plight of their own fellow Ghanaians or be motivated

by history to make sure that the nation gets the best. Private investor

should explore opportunities in these areas. The funds given by American

president recently against hunger should target these areas and be used

accordingly. The road that leads to Baubeng Fiema and Mole National park

should be constructed to enhance easy access to boost its annual income.

The current surroundings and management of paga crocodile sanctuary, and

Kintampo WaterFalls is evident of poor resource management and therefore

needs enhancement. Government should be committed in developing the

deposited villages into modern towns with the necessary amenities that go

with it. That is the only way we can prevent Niger Delta in Ghana. Obviously,

the aftermath of any type of war destabilizes countries and flout human

rights. A story told by A 23 year old Congolese woman to Human Rights Watch

that the soldiers "*raped us and dragged us to their camp which was not far

away. I stayed there for one month, under constant supervision. Even when I

went to fetch water, he came with me to ensure that I did not run away....

There was no conversation between us; he had sex with me at any moment,

when he felt like it, and with a lot of violence. I spent my days crying. I

begged God to free me from this hell.*" In countries where the benefits of

resource exploitation such as those of oil extraction and mining have only

profited some corrupt elites and foreign companies due to poor negotiation

by governments, the local populations habitually suffer from social,

political, and economic problems which eventually lead to civil war. More

often than not, this is the case in African countries.

“War does not determine who is right - only who is left’’

Author; SCHANDORF ADU BRIGHT