DOCSLIB.ORG

Understanding Inter-Rebel Fighting Costantino Pischedda

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Understanding Inter-Rebel Fighting Costantino Pischedda Wars Within Wars: Understanding Inter-rebel Fighting Costantino Pischedda Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2015 © 2015 Costantino Pischedda All rights reserved ABSTRACT Wars Within Wars: Understanding Inter-rebel Fighting Costantino Pischedda Why do rebel groups frequently fight each other rather than cooperating against their common enemy – the state? This dissertation presents a theory of inter-rebel war and tests it with a combination of case studies and statistical analysis. The theory conceives of inter-rebel war as a calculated response by rebel groups to opportunities for expansion and threats generated by the civil war environment in which they operate. Insurgent organizations attack weaker coethnic groups when government forces only pose a limited threat (i.e., when they face a window of opportunity), so as to eliminate potentially threatening rivals and acquire more resources to be used against the state. Additionally, rebel groups resort to force in desperate attempts to deal with a mounting threat posed by coethnic groups or a drastic deterioration of their power relative to other groups (i.e., when they face a window of vulnerability). Rebel groups’ cost-benefit calculus about infighting is powerfully influenced by whether they are facing coethnic insurgent organizations. Coethnic rebel groups’ overlapping mobilization bases make it possible for an organization to take over the resources (in particular, recruitment pools and tax bases) of defeated rivals and consequently improve their chances in the fight against the government. Thus coethnicity amplifies both defensive and aggressive motives for inter-rebel war. This dissertation adopts a mixed-method approach, combining case studies and statistical analysis. My three main case studies are the Kurdish rebellions against Iraq (1961-1988), the Eritrean war of national liberation (1961-1991) and the insurgencies in Ethiopia’s Tigray province (1975-1991). These case studies combine secondary literature with primary sources collected during fieldwork in Iraq, Ethiopia and several European countries – including fifty-four semi-structured interviews with forty former insurgent leaders, their memoirs, and archival materials. In order to assess the generalizability of my argument across a variety of historical, geographical and political contexts, I also conducted shadow case studies of the civil wars in Lebanon (1975-89), Sri Lanka (1983-2009) and Syria (2011-), and analyzed an original panel dataset of all dyads of rebel groups pitted against the same government in multi-party civil wars in the period 1989-2011. Table of Contents List of Tables ii List of Figures iii Acknowledgments iv 1. Introduction 1 2. Fighting the Wrong Enemy? Windows of Opportunity, Vulnerability, and Inter-rebel War 12 3. The Kurdish Insurgencies in Iraq, 1961-1988 73 4. Insurgencies in Eritrea and Tigray, 1961-1991 125 5. Assessing External Validity with Shadow Case Studies: Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Syria 208 6. Assessing External Validity with Statistical Analysis: Are Coethnic Rebel Groups More Likely to Fight Each Other? 279 7. Conclusions 294 Bibliography 308 Appendix 1: List of Interviewees 346 Appendix 2: Robustness Checks for Statistical Analysis 351 i List of Tables Table 3.1: Summary of the findings of the Kurdish insurgencies in Iraq 111 Table 4.1: Summary of the findings of the insurgencies in Tigray and Eritrea 194 Table 6.1: Descriptive statistics 285 Table 6.2: Testing the coethnicity argument (I) 287 Table 6.3: Testing the coethnicity argument (II) 288 Table 6.4: Changes in the probability of inter-rebel war using Clarify 290 Table 6.5: Testing minimum winning coalition theory 291 Table 7.1: Summary of inter-rebel wars by type and outcome 296 Table A2.1: Robustness to alternative measures of government strength and threat 352 Table A2.2: Robustness checks with number of rebel groups 353 Table A2.3: Robustness to alternative measures of the inter-rebel balance of power (I) 355 Table A2.4: Robustness to alternative measures of the inter-rebel balance of power (II) 356 Table A2.5: Robustness to alternative measures of external support 357 Table A2.6: Robustness to alternative measures of territorial control and hegemonic war 359 ii List of Figures Figure 2.1: Theory of inter-rebel war 46 Figure 3.1: Map of Iraqi Kurdistan 80 Figure 3.2: Timeline of inter-rebel war in Iraqi Kurdistan 85 Figure 3.3: Maximum extent of Kurdish rebels’ territorial control 112 Figure 4.1: Map of Eritrea and Tigray 126 Figure 4.2: Map of Eritrea 137 Figure 4.3: Timeline of inter-rebel war in Eritrea 140 Figure 4.4.: Map of Ethiopia 143 Figure 4.5: Timeline of inter-rebel war in Tigray 144 Figure 5.1: Map of Lebanon 220 Figure 5.2: Zones of Military Influence in Lebanon, 1976-1982 235 Figure 5.3: Map of Sri Lanka 250 Figure 5.4: Map of Syria 262 iii Acknowledgments I am deeply indebted to many people and institutions for their crucial intellectual, emotional, financial and logistical support while I was writing this dissertation. The members of my dissertation committee in the Department of Political Science at Columbia University provided constructive and insightful feedback at multiple stages of the project. Jack Snyder was a model advisor – genuinely committed to the independent intellectual development of his mentees, while always generous with his time and ideas. Page Fortna relentlessly spurred me to be systematic and rigorous in spelling out the logic of my arguments and in bringing empirical evidence to bear on them. Prof. Jervis’ (I think I am allowed to call him Bob now that I completed the PhD) work, courses and comments on the dissertation manuscript have been a major source of inspiration and stimulus to think more deeply about international relations and strategic interactions in civil war settings, in particular. I benefited enormously from tapping into Austin Long’s expertise on insurgency and counterinsurgency. Last but not least, I am thankful to Daniel Corstange: he joined the committee relatively late in the game but his thoughtful criticisms have given me much food for thought. Among Columbia’s faculty more broadly, I owe a special debt of gratitude to Prof. Betts and Massimo Morelli. Prof. Betts contributed to shape my thinking about war years before I met him, when I read his International Security essay “Is Strategy an Illusion?”. After taking his courses and serving as his teaching assistant multiple times, I continue to be amazed by his strategic wisdom whenever I read his work. Massimo Morelli has been an intellectual guide, a colleague and a close friend at the same time; he crucially enabled my field research in Iraq (and thus this dissertation) by involving me in a project of his in the country. Tanisha Fazal also generously provided valuable comments on an earlier draft of my theory chapter. At Columbia, I had the good fortune to meet a group of talented young scholars that graced me with their friendship. Graduate school would not have been as formative an intellectual and human experience without Sara Moller, Kelsey Finkel, Dianne Pfundstein, Bjorn Gomes, Andrew Cheon, Laura Vargas, Erica Borghard, Joe Brown, Melissa Valle, Stefano Recchia, Mark Schneider, Andreas Avgousti, Matias Mednik and Ben Schupmann. Matias also generously provided invaluable help in creating the dataset used in the Chapter 6 of the dissertation. Over the years Andreas has offered selfless friendship and support towards me, which I hope to be able to match one day. Outside Columbia, Peter Krause, Morgan Kaplan, Lee Seymour and Paul Staniland provided exceptionally helpful and detailed comments on drafts of several chapters of the dissertation. I am also thankful to Joan Ricart, Andrea Gilli and Mauro Gilli for engaging discussions and useful suggestions. Alan Kuperman radically strengthened my interest in the rigorous study of civil wars during my Master’s at the Johns Hopkins University’s School of International Advanced International Studies (SAIS) over ten years ago and (much to my surprise at the time) strongly supported my decision to pursue a PhD. My fieldwork in Iraq and Ethiopia would not have been possible without the help of the individuals – too many to mention here – that put me in touch with interviewees, helped arrange iv interviews and worked as interpreters. I am also extremely grateful to the interviewees themselves for their time and for sharing with me their civil war experiences. The Smith Richardson Foundation generously financed my field research in Ethiopia through the World Politics and Statecraft Fellowship. Finally, I will be forever grateful to my mother, my sister and father; their unwavering love helped get through several dark moments on the way to the PhD. I dedicate this dissertation to my mother Mattia Pericu and to the memory of my friend Giancarlo Doria, two extraordinary individuals that have thought me much more than I could ever learn from books. v Chapter 1 Introduction In early January 2014, the news media were abuzz with reports of large-scale clashes between Sunni rebel groups taking part in the Syrian civil war, which had started over two years earlier when the government cracked down on peaceful protestors. Pundits were quick to point out that the Alawite-dominated regime of Bashar al-Assad would be the ultimate beneficiary. Analysts Bill Roggio and Lisa Lundquist, for example, noted that “rebel infighting is a boon to regime forces and clearly detrimental to the overall strength of the Syrian opposition.”1 This initial assessment was confirmed by subsequent developments, as the government made major gains in the following months as inter-rebel war dragged on.2 Analyses of the causes of the infighting, however, were not as insightful as the predictions of its consequences.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Measuring How Refugee Flows and Rights Shape Civil Conflict
    Binghamton University The Open Repository @ Binghamton (The ORB) Graduate Dissertations and Theses Dissertations, Theses and Capstones 5-1-2018 Nowhere to Run: Measuring How Refugee Flows and Rights Shape Civil Conflict Katherine Emma Felt Binghamton University--SUNY, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://orb.binghamton.edu/dissertation_and_theses Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Felt, Katherine Emma, "Nowhere to Run: Measuring How Refugee Flows and Rights Shape Civil Conflict" (2018). Graduate Dissertations and Theses. 67. https://orb.binghamton.edu/dissertation_and_theses/67 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations, Theses and Capstones at The Open Repository @ Binghamton (The ORB). It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of The Open Repository @ Binghamton (The ORB). For more information, please contact [email protected]. NOWHERE TO RUN: MEASURING HOW REFUGEE FLOWS AND RIGHTS SHAPE CIVIL CONFLICT BY KATHERINE EMMA FELT BA, Pennsylvania State University, 2010 MA, Binghamton University, 2014 DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science in the Graduate School of Binghamton University State University of New York 2018 © Copyright by Katherine Emma Felt 2018 All Rights Reserved Accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science in the Graduate School of Binghamton University State University of New York 2018 May 1, 2018 David H. Clark, Chair and Faculty Advisor Department of Political Science, Binghamton University Benjamin O. Fordham, Member Department of Political Science, Binghamton University Seden Akcinaroglu, Member Department of Political Science, Binghamton University Stephen R.
    [Show full text]
  • Alert 2010! Report on Conflicts, Human Rights and Peacebuilding
    Alert 2010! Report on conflicts, human rights and peacebuilding Written by: Maria Cañadas Francesch Vicenç Fisas Armengol Patricia García Amado Maria Prandi Chevalier Josep Maria Royo Aspa Jordi Urgell García Pamela Urrutia Arestizábal Ana Villellas Ariño María Villellas Ariño This book is printed on chlorine-free recycled paper. Report completed on December the 31st 2009. Edited by: Icaria Editorial / Escola de Cultura de Pau, UAB Printed by: Romanyà/Valls, S.A. Verdaguer, 1, Capellades (Barcelona) Cover design: Lucas Wainer Mattosso ISBN: 978-84-9888-230-8 Legal registration number: B-16.559-2010 This report has been written by: Maria Cañadas Francesch ( human rights and transitional justice), Vicenç Fisas Armengol ( peace processes), Patricia García Amado (humanitarian emergencies and socio-political crises), Maria Prandi Chevalier ( human rights and transitional justice), Josep Maria Royo Aspa ( armed conflicts and socio-political crises), Jordi Urgell García (armed conflicts and socio-political crises), Pamela Urrutia Arestizábal ( armed conflicts and socio-political crises), Ana Villellas Ariño ( armed conflicts and socio-political crises) and María Villellas Ariño (gender and socio-political crises). Yesid Arteta Dávila and Carlos Arturo Velandia Jagua ( Colombia armed conflict’s analysis). The contents of this report may be freely reproduced and circulated provided that the source is properly quoted, with reference to the title of the report and the publisher. The authors assume full responsibility for the contents of this report. Summary Alert 2010! Report on conflict, human rights and tion for each area of study. Most of these indicators, peacebuilding is a yearbook which analyzes the state of once cross-tabulated, can also help us understand how the world in connection with conflicts and peacebuild- some factors influence others.
    [Show full text]
  • Ethiopia: Prospects for Peace in Ogaden
    Ethiopia: Prospects for Peace in Ogaden Africa Report N°207 | 6 August 2013 International Crisis Group Headquarters Avenue Louise 149 1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 502 90 38 Fax: +32 2 502 50 38 [email protected] Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... i I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 II. Ogaden: Ethiopia’s Most Contested Territory ................................................................. 2 III. The ONLF and Federal Ethiopia ...................................................................................... 5 A. The ONLF and the EPRDF ........................................................................................ 5 B. Article 39 .................................................................................................................... 7 C. Amateur Insurgents ................................................................................................... 7 D. Local Governance Issues ............................................................................................ 9 IV. Externalisation of the Conflict ......................................................................................... 10 A. The Eritrean Factor .................................................................................................... 10 B. The Somali Factor .....................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Collective Punishment
    Collective Punishment War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity in the Ogaden area of Ethiopia's Somali Regional State Copyright © 2008 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-322-6 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: +1 212 290 4700, Fax: +1 212 736 1300 [email protected] Poststraße 4-5 10178 Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 2593 06-10, Fax: +49 30 2593 0629 [email protected] Avenue des Gaulois, 7 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: + 32 (2) 732 2009, Fax: + 32 (2) 732 0471 [email protected] 64-66 Rue de Lausanne 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 0481, Fax: +41 22 738 1791 [email protected] 2-12 Pentonville Road, 2nd Floor London N1 9HF, UK Tel: +44 20 7713 1995, Fax: +44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] 27 Rue de Lisbonne 75008 Paris, France Tel: +33 (1)43 59 55 35, Fax: +33 (1) 43 59 55 22 [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel: +1 202 612 4321, Fax: +1 202 612 4333 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org June 2008 1-56432-322-6 Collective Punishment War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity in the Ogaden area of Ethiopia’s Somali Region Map 1: Ethiopia and Somali Regional State .............................................................. 1 Map 2: Conflict-Affected Zones of Somali Regional State .........................................2 Summary .................................................................................................................3 Methodology ...........................................................................................................8 Note on Terminology...............................................................................................11 Part 1: Background................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • A Rising Regional Power: Making Sense of Ethiopia's Influence in the Horn of Africa Region
    Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 10-16-2020 A Rising Regional Power: Making Sense of Ethiopia's Influence in the Horn of Africa Region Yonas K. Mulat [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the Comparative Politics Commons, and the International Relations Commons Recommended Citation Mulat, Yonas K., "A Rising Regional Power: Making Sense of Ethiopia's Influence in the Horn of Africa Region" (2020). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4590. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/4590 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida A RISING REGIONAL POWER: MAKING SENSE OF ETHIOPIA’S INFLUENCE IN THE HORN OF AFRICA A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in POLITICAL SCIENCE by Yonas Ketsela Mulat 2020 To: Dean John F. Stack, Jr. Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs This dissertation, written by Yonas Ketsela Mulat and entitled A Rising Regional Power: Making Sense of Ethiopia’s Influence in the Horn of Africa, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this dissertation and recommend that it be approved. __________________________________________ Felix Martin __________________________________________ Eric Lob __________________________________________ Hilary Jones __________________________________________ John Clark, Major Professor Date of Defense: October 16, 2020 The dissertation of Yonas Ketsela Mulat is approved.
    [Show full text]
  • Shell-Shocked: Civilians Under Siege in Mogadishu
    Somalia HUMAN Shell-Shocked RIGHTS Civilians Under Siege in Mogadishu WATCH August 2007 Volume 19, No. 12(a) Shell-Shocked Civilians Under Siege in Mogadishu Map 1: Mogadishu: Insurgent attacks through mid-March 2007............................... 1 Map 2: Mogadishu: Ethiopian offensives in March and April 2007............................2 I. Summary...............................................................................................................3 II. Key Recommendations.........................................................................................7 To the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG).....................................7 To the groups comprising the insurgency ............................................................7 To the government of Ethiopia.............................................................................8 To the European Union and its member states, the European Commission, the United Nations Security Council, the African Union, the Arab League, and the government of the United States.......................9 III. Background.......................................................................................................10 The Fall of the Barre Regime and the Outbreak of Clan Fighting.......................... 12 Successive Failed Peace Processes: 1991–2004................................................ 14 The Ethiopian Factor ......................................................................................... 16 The Rise of the Islamic Courts in 2006..............................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Download Report
    “So Much to Fear” War Crimes and the Devastation of Somalia Copyright © 2008 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-415-X Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: +1 212 290 4700, Fax: +1 212 736 1300 [email protected] Poststraße 4-5 10178 Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 2593 06-10, Fax: +49 30 2593 0629 [email protected] Avenue des Gaulois, 7 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: + 32 (2) 732 2009, Fax: + 32 (2) 732 0471 [email protected] 64-66 Rue de Lausanne 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 0481, Fax: +41 22 738 1791 [email protected] 2-12 Pentonville Road, 2nd Floor London N1 9HF, UK Tel: +44 20 7713 1995, Fax: +44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] 27 Rue de Lisbonne 75008 Paris, France Tel: +33 (1)43 59 55 35, Fax: +33 (1) 43 59 55 22 [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel: +1 202 612 4321, Fax: +1 202 612 4333 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org December 2008 1-56432-415-X “So Much to Fear” War Crimes and the Devastation of Somalia Map of Somalia ............................................................................................................. 1 Map of Mogadishu ....................................................................................................... 2 Summary.......................................................................................................................3 Recommendations ....................................................................................................... 9 To the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia ................................................. 9 To the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia......................................................10 To Al-Shabaab and other Insurgent groups............................................................. 11 To the government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.........................
    [Show full text]
  • Addis Ababa University School of Graduate Studies
    ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES ETHIOPIA’S 2006 MILITARY INTERVENTION IN SOMALIA: CRITICAL APPRAISAL BY WOLDYIE TIGNEH BEGASHAW ADDIS ABABA JANUARY, 2016 1 ETHIOPIA’S 2006 MILITARY INTERVENTION IN SOMALIA: CRITICAL APPRAISAL BY WOLDYIE TIGNEH BEGASHAW A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES OF THE ADDIS ABABAUNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ADVISOR DR. ZAFAR ALAM ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ADDIS ABABA JANUARY, 2016 2 ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ETHIOPIA’S 2006 MILITARY INTERVENTION IN SOMALIA: CRITICAL APPRASIAL BY WOLDYIE TIGNEH BEGASHAW APPROVED BY BOARD OF EXAMINERS ________________ ___________ ADVISOR SIGNATURE _________________ ___________ INTERNAL EXAMINER SIGNATURE ___________________ ___________ EXTERNAL EXAMINER SIGNATURE i Acknowledgement I praise Almighty God for giving me the courage and resilience to complete this work. The contribution of many people was enormous for the accomplishment of this paper and thus deserve acknowledgement. I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Zafar Alam for his cooperation. I would also like to extend my deepest gratitude to all those, especially to my mother Aberash Abebe ,my beloved brother Ayele Tigneh who assisted me with unreserved effort since the death of my father at early child hood and my uncle Wogderes Begashaw who assisted and treated me as my father. I also owe a debt of gratitude to all institutions and individuals directly or indirectly contributed to accomplishment of my thesis.
    [Show full text]
  • Alert 2008! Report on Conflicts, Human Rights and Peace-Building
    2008 alerta anglès web 29/5/08 10:11 Página 3 Alert 2008! Report on conflicts, human rights and peace-building Prepared by Maria Cañadas Francesch Albert Caramés Boada Vicenç Fisas Armengol Patricia García Amado Marta Mendiola Gonzalo Maria Prandi Chevalier Gema Redondo de la Morena Josep Maria Royo Aspa Eneko Sanz Pascual Núria Tomàs Collantes Jordi Urgell Garcia Ana Villellas Ariño María Villellas Ariño 2008 alerta anglès web 29/5/08 10:11 Página 4 Report completed January 2008. Edited by: Icaria editorial / Escola de Cultura de Pau, UAB Printed: Indústria Gràfica Frape Covert design: Lucas Wainer Mattosso ISBN: 978-84-7426-978-9 Legal registry no.: This report has been prepared by: Maria Cañadas Francesch (human rights), Albert Caramés Boada (disarmament), Vicenç Fisas Armengol (peace process), Patricia García Amado (humanitarian crises), Marta Mendiola Gonzalo (human rights), Maria Prandi Chevalier (human rights), Gema Redondo de la Morena (post-war rehabilitation), Josep Maria Royo Aspa (armed conflicts), Eneko Sanz Pascual (disarmament), Núria Tomàs Collantes (tensions), Jordi Urgell García (armed conflicts and tensions), Ana Villellas Ariño (armed conflicts and tensions) and María Villellas Ariño (gender and tensions). The contents of this report may be freely reproduced and circulated provided that the source is properly quoted, with reference to the title of the report and the publisher. The authors assume full responsibility for the contents of this report. The authors are particularly grateful for the help received during their preparation of this report from Vicens Vives publishers, along with the whole team at the UAB’s School for a Culture of Peace.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Impacts and Causes of Conflict in the Horn of Africa a Review
    Earth-Science Reviews 177 (2018) 284–290 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Earth-Science Reviews journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/earscirev Environmental impacts and causes of conflict in the Horn of Africa: A review T Negasi Solomona,c, Emiru Birhanea,b, Christopher Gordonc, Mebrahtu Hailea, Fatemeh Taherid, ⁎ Hossein Azadie,f, , Jürgen Scheffrang a Department of Land Resources Management and Environmental Protection, Mekelle University, Ethiopia b Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003, No-1432 Ås, Norway c Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies, University of Ghana, Ghana d Department of Agricultural Economics, Ghent University, Belgium e Department of Geography, Ghent University, Belgium f Economics and Rural Development, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Belgium g Research Group Climate Change and Security (CLISEC), Institute of Geography, University of Hamburg ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: The Horn of Africa region stands out amongst the planet's territories that are most volatile and vulnerable to Climate variability armed violence. Conflicts have greatly affected the region over the past 50 years. The conflicts have disrupted Conflict the lives of people as well as the environment in ways that are not fully understood. Although armed conflict has Biodiversity generally had a negative impact on the environment, the environmental impact of conflict within the Horn of Soil pollution Africa has barely been evaluated. Similarly, our understanding that climate variability as well as change could Water pollution have played a role in increasing or decreasing the impacts of conflicts within the Horn of Africa is insufficient. Air pollution fl Horn of Africa Therefore, this paper looks at the environmental impacts of con ict in the Horn of Africa since 1970 and also the role of climate variability in increasing or decreasing the impacts of conflict.
    [Show full text]
  • Report of the Monitoring Group on Somalia
    United Nations S/2010/91 Security Council Distr.: General 10 March 2010 Original: English Letter dated 10 March 2010 from the Chairman of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea addressed to the President of the Security Council On behalf of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea, and in accordance with paragraph 3 (j) of Security Council resolution 1853 (2008), I have the honour to transmit herewith the report of the Monitoring Group on Somalia. In this connection, the Committee would appreciate it if the present letter, together with its enclosure, were brought to the attention of the members of the Security Council and issued as a document of the Council. (Signed) Claude Heller Chairman Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 concerning Somalia and Eritrea 10-24689 (E) 110310 *1024689* S/2010/91 Letter dated 26 February 2010 from the members of the Monitoring Group on Somalia addressed to the Chairman of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 751 (1992) We have the honour to transmit herewith the report of the Monitoring Group on Somalia in accordance with paragraph 3 (j) of Security Council resolution 1853 (2008). (Signed) Matt Bryden Coordinator Monitoring Group on Somalia (Signed) Arnaud Laloum (Signed) Jörg Roofthooft 2 10-24689 S/2010/91 Report of the Monitoring Group on Somalia pursuant to Security Council resolution 1853 (2008) Contents Page Abbreviations.................................................................. 5 Summary ..................................................................... 6 I. Introduction ................................................................... 8 A. Mandate .................................................................. 8 B. Methodology .............................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Somalia: Current Conditions and Prospects for a Lasting Peace
    Somalia: Current Conditions and Prospects for a Lasting Peace Ted Dagne Specialist in African Affairs August 31, 2011 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RL33911 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Somalia: Current Conditions and Prospects for a Lasting Peace Summary In October 2002, the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) launched a peace process designed to end factional fighting in Somalia, led by the government of Kenya. In September 2003, the parties agreed on a Transitional National Charter (TNC). In August 2004, a 275-member Transitional Parliament was inaugurated in Kenya. In October 2004, parliament elected Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed as the new president of Somalia. In June 2006, the forces of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) took control of the capital, Mogadishu. During the six-month rule by the ICU, Mogadishu became relatively peaceful, but efforts to bring peace did not lead to a major breakthrough. On December 28, 2006, Ethiopian troops captured Mogadishu with little resistance from the ICU. The Ethiopian intervention led to more chaos and instability in Somalia. In January 2007, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) came to the capital, Mogadishu, from Baidoa after the ouster of the ICU. In June 2008, the TFG and the Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS), a group dominated by members of the ICU, signed an agreement in Djibouti mediated by then-United Nations Special Envoy Ahmedou Ould-Abdullah. The parties agreed to a cease-fire, the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces, and the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force. A number of towns, including the third-largest town, Kismaayo, are now under the control of Al-Shabaab, a group opposed to the TFG.
    [Show full text]