DATE=6/15/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CIVIL WAR / DIAMONDS (L ONLY)
NUMBER=2-263523
BYLINE=JOE DE CAPUA
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The World Bank has issued a new report
suggesting civil wars are more often fueled by
economics than by political, ethnic or religious
differences. V-O-A's Joe De Capua says the report
also recommends ways to avoid such conflicts.
TEXT: The new study -- Economic Causes of Civil
Conflict -- examined nearly 50 civil wars that
occurred around the world between 1960 and 1999. The
author of the World Bank report - Paul Collier -- says
countries that earn much of their income from the
export of unprocessed commodities - such as diamonds -
are far more likely to face civil war than countries
with more diversified economies.
/// 1ST COLLIER ACT ///
African diamonds don't always lead to conflict.
Best example of where a country has handled
diamonds successfully is Botswana. Elsewhere in
the continent, my God, diamonds have been a
guerrilla's best friend.
/// END ACT ///
The report says rebel groups in vulnerable countries
loot primary commodities to pay large numbers of
young, poorly educated soldiers.
Mr. Collier says while there are no exact figures as
to how much rebel leaders earn from the illegal
diamond trade - he's sure it's a huge amount. He says
one example is Angola's UNITA rebel leader, Jonas
Savimbi.
/// 2ND COLLIER ACT ///
I believe that Savimbi managed to build up a war
chest of something like four billion dollars by
the early 1990's. That would have made him one
of the richest men in the world. UNITA at its
peak was supplying something on the order of 10
percent of world diamond supplies. That's a
lot. I don't know how wealthy Mr. (Foday)
Sankoh is from Sierra Leone, but my guess is
he's pretty rich.
/// END ACT ///
/// OPT ///
He says the same can be said for many of the generals
from various countries who are fighting in the
Democratic Republic of Congo - a country rich in
diamonds, hardwoods and other resources.
/// 3RD COLLIER ACT ///
These people are bandits on the government
payroll getting very rich.
/// END ACT ///
/// END OPT ///
The World Bank report says a country with little
education is vulnerable to rebellion. It tends to
have a low income, making the government, itself, very
poor. As a result, the government is unable to
provide services to the people or build a strong
military to protect against rebellion.
The World Bank official says a country lacking
education is a fertile ground for rebel recruits --
although rebel groups often fill their ranks through
abductions.
/// 4TH COLLIER ACT ///
Low education is a very good measure of the lack
of opportunities for youth, especially for young
men. And where the opportunities for young men
are very poor, it's easier for rebels to recruit
them.
/// END ACT ///
Mr. Collier says rebel groups may create a romantic
image around themselves that they are fighting for
freedom and justice. He says sometimes the image is
true; oftentimes it's not.
/// 5TH COLLIER ACT ///
So, I think there's a delusion out there that
rebels are heroes, whereas I look at them - or
have come to look at them - as much more on the
edge of being criminals. A rebel movement has
more connection with organized crime than with
heroism.
/// END ACT ///
The World Bank study recommends five policies to
reduce the risk of civil war or rebellion. First, it
says economies should be diversified and not dependent
on primary commodities, such as gemstones or coffee.
It says governments can discredit rebels who loot by
using revenue from diamonds, for example, to fund
education and health. Next, the international
community should make it difficult for rebel groups to
sell diamonds and other commodities abroad. Fourth,
it proposes action to generate rapid growth to help
overcome the effects of economic decline.
///OPT ///
/// 6TH COLLIER ACT ///
If we can get faster growth, faster economic
growth, we can show that that systematically
makes the society safer. It gives better
opportunities to the people who'd otherwise be
recruited into conflict. And it strengthens the
government's ability to provide services, which
bind the population to the government.
/// END ACT ///
/// OPT ///
The fifth and final recommendation calls for
guaranteed protection for minorities in societies
dominated by a single ethnic group. Entrenching their
rights in a national constitution could do this.
/// OPT ///
According to the study, history can easily repeat
itself. It says if a country has recently had a civil
war, its risk of further conflict is much higher.
Immediately after the end of conflict, there is a 40-
percent chance of more violence. The study says the
risk then falls about one percent for each year of
peace.
/// OPT ///
The World Bank says that since the end of the Cold
War, most conflicts have been internal wars. Nine out
of ten casualties have been non-combatants. Since the
fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, four million people
have died in conflicts, tens of millions more have
become refugees or internally displaced in their own
countries. (Signed)
NEB/JDC/KL
15-Jun-2000 13:51 PM EDT (15-Jun-2000 1751 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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