We live in peaceful times. Conflicts being linked to something as mundane as natural resources is a conspiracy theory. Just kidding…
Amnesty International and other organisations have exposed the Cambodian authorities’ systematic failure to protect people from forced evictions. Forced evictions in the name of economic development now occur regularly across Cambodia, as local elites and foreign investors seek to capitalize on a newly privatized land market and take control of the country’s natural resources.
About 10% of the hunter-gatherer Awa tribe have fled their ancestral mountain homes in the past decade. Some now survive as subsistence farmers on small lots provided by the government.
The tribe has been fighting palm oil plantations encroaching on their land for about 16 years, the civil war between leftist FARC and the government has produced an extremely dangerous territory including indigenous grounds littered with landmines and lately gold mines have taken away even more land and polluting its surroundings.
Read: BBC / Colombia’s indigenous peoples face uncertain future, SOS Childrens’ Villages / Dealing with the threat of landmines in Colombia.
Several protesters were injured on November 25th when police dispersed anti-gold mine demonstration with tear gas. The US-based Newmont Mining Corporation plan to reconstruct local water flows used in farmers’ irrigation. Locals protest mining projects throughout Peru and injuries are not uncommon.
“Companies come here, take the gold and then go away – just like in colonial times. People feel cheated.” – Jorge Rimarachin
Read: AFP / Peruvian gold mine, locals clash over resources , MercoPress / Peruvian peasants clash with police to protest against gold mine in the Andes.
Sudan – South Sudan border: Ethnic cleansing?
After a brief spell in international media as a success story, newly founded South Sudan is now fighting a “war by proxy” paramilitaries with Sudan. The latter appear to currently be evicting certain ethnic groups.
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| DigitalGlobe imagery shows the presence of Antonov An-26’s and other aircraft at El Obeid Airbase on 14 November 2011. |
One third of oil production is now off-shore and the rate is climbing. Resources are found in the Arctic, in the South Chinese Sea, in the Mediterranean and elsewhere. Chinese and Turkish warships circle Vietnamese and Israeli drilling ships and platforms in each their own gunboat diplomatic efforts. These countries as well as the US, Russia and others are investing in new aircraft carriers, cruisers and destroyers.
Read: The New York Times / A New Era of Gunboat Diplomacy.
All just one big hoax. All of the above from the month of November 2011.
