As I gear up to teach African Politics this fall (a course I use to examine development and conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa, which has been a rich area of exploration for ethnic conflict and civil war study for many a scholar) I spend time perusing wire services and news providers and came across two interesting pieces. One is about new revenue streams for Sierra Leone based on oil reserves. The other is about communal conflict at the tribal level in South Sudan.
Both of these stories highlight the factor of wealth and dysfunction issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. While oil revenue could provide $100 million (U.S.) per year, will this wealth really make a difference for the average Sierra Leone citizen? Sierra Leone has a great amount of mineral and timber wealth and this has not changed the quality of life for the average citizen to date. South Sudan has independence and international recognition, but will this lead to peace in an area that has known decades of violent conflict? Or will South Sudan quickly become a dysfunctional community? Well, this gives me something to follow for the next few months. I think it should give many people something to ponder for a few months.
Both of these stories highlight the factor of wealth and dysfunction issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. While oil revenue could provide $100 million (U.S.) per year, will this wealth really make a difference for the average Sierra Leone citizen? Sierra Leone has a great amount of mineral and timber wealth and this has not changed the quality of life for the average citizen to date. South Sudan has independence and international recognition, but will this lead to peace in an area that has known decades of violent conflict? Or will South Sudan quickly become a dysfunctional community? Well, this gives me something to follow for the next few months. I think it should give many people something to ponder for a few months.
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