Africa: Exploring the causes of armed conflict

In recent years, political disputes have triggered armed conflicts and vast population movements in Africa’s Great Lakes region. Recent research suggests that access to natural resources is both a cause of these conflicts and a factor in sustaining them. Research from the Africa Centre for Technology Studies, Kenya, examines the relationship between armed conflict and access to agricultural land. Studies in Rwanda, Burundi and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo show that changes in land use and land access are significant factors in armed conflicts.