In the latest ECSP publication, Report From Africa, eight African leaders and scholars describe their continent’s struggle with conflict over resources and the possibilities for peace that population and environment initiatives may hold. They claim a commitment to sustainability could help turn deadly environments into safe, sustainable neighborhoods.

Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai says that poor governance and mismanagement of resources spur the violence that plagues many countries in Africa. “Below the thin layer of racial and ethnic chauvinism, religion, and politics, the real reason for many conflicts is the struggle for the access to and control of the limited resources on our planet.”

The devastating civil conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was fueled by global demand for the country’s enormous stores of valuable minerals and extensive forests.