60 years after the UN Convention - Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation

Behind most mass violence
lurk economic interests
Charles Abugre
introduction 271
Before I deal with the issue of the economic dimensions of genocidal
manifestations in Africa, I would like to emphasise a point made yesterday
by the Chief Prosecutor of the ICTR, Hassan Bubakar Jallow,
to the eff ect that the focus on what goes wrong in Africa severely
clouds out the remarkable changes and transformations taking place
across the continent. The continent has shown positive per capita
GDP growth for fi ve years running and some of the world’s fastestgrowing
economies are based in the continent. Even Nigeria, once
written off as too corrupt to make progress, is now one of the hottest
destinations for equity capital. Military coups and old-fashioned brutal
dictatorships are the exception, and countries such as the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC), Liberia and Sierra Leone weathered
immense odds to run relatively free and fair elections. Democratic
institutions are deepening throughout the continent, as parliaments
become more mature, the media more liberalised and civil
society bodies fi nd their voices. With debt relief (at least for a few),
an upturn in commodity prices and the easing of the worst forms
of structural adjustment policies, we see education attainment rising
rapidly once more; and with China’s involvement, there is renewed
attention to infrastructure. At the continental political level, we see
signs of progressive policies through the Africa Union. Africa is not
just a continent of crisis and negatives, it is a continent making steady
progress, even rapid progress relative to its history.
I would also like to say that my comments are not about predicting
genocides. It is simply impossible to do that; not even genocidal
conditions can be generalised with any certainty. Instead, I will try
to draw attention to fl ashpoints, and to areas for potential fl ashpoints
that trigger mass deaths.
My focus is on genocidal conditions, and by that I mean any conditions
that lead to, or trigger mass deaths. We have to remember that
genocide is not just pornographic, nor is it simply a result of demagoguery.
All genocides are rooted in history. Africa’s genocides are
rooted in Africa’s historical relationships amongst its diff erent parts
and between its communities, where identities, and early state formations
are important factors. But they are also rooted in Africa’s