By David Lony Majak,
Opinion
Nov 6, 2014(Nyamilepedia) — The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem in countries where there is oil, gas and other natural resources like for the case of the republic of South Sudan. Resource cures also known as the paradox of plenty which is refers to the paradox that countries and regions with an abundance of natural resources, specifically point-source non-renewable resources like minerals and fuels. It is not by surprise that, the poor nations in Africa and around globe are dancing over resources’ curse in south Sudan.
South Sudan is a nation blessed by almighty God with enough minerals and fuel since human creation on the earth. According to one academic study, a country that is otherwise typical but has primary commodity exports around 25% of growth domestic products has a 33% risk of conflicts, but when exports are 5% of GDP the chance of conflict drops to 6%.
Natural resource dependence insulates leaders from public pressure and accountability. Troublingly, in many countries with significant natural resources, important checks on government power, such as a long democratic culture and a vociferous civil society, are in short supply. There was no poverty eradication in south Sudan after comprehensive peace agreement (CPA), people are not free from poverty yet the country is rich oil production.
In south Sudan, these natural resources at any times they occurs naturally within environment that exist relatively undisturbed by humanity and often are characterized by uncountable biodiversity and geodiversity which exists in various ecosystems. From the human point of view, natural resources are materials and components of something that can be used and can be found within the environment.
East Africa countries only has the common natural resources which also exist different nations as a separate entity such as fresh water, and air, as well as a living organism such as a fish, or it may exist in an alternate form which must be processed to obtain the resource such as metal ores, oil, and most forms of energy but enormously required some scientific studies. Now most of them had involved in south Sudan’s crisis without respecting the international laws whilst Supremacy, elements like Uganda’s president is also another political confuser who pretended to be supporting one side of the warring parties in south Sudan, but only aiming at cash payment.
There is much debate worldwide over natural resource allocations; this is partly due to increasing scarcity, depletion of resources but also because the exportation of natural resources is the basis for many economies and particularly for developed nations. Natural resources can, and often do, provoke conflicts within societies, as different groups and factions fight for their shares. Sometimes these emerge openly as separatist conflicts in regions where the resources are produced such as in South Sudan’s oil-rich upper Nile region, but often the conflicts occur in more hidden forms, such as fights between different government ministries or departments for access to budgetary allocations.
For countries where some natural resources are must such as sunlight and air can be found everywhere, and are known as ubiquitous resources, however these nations have limited conflicts compare to rich oil producing countries. There was a political clashes between the politicians in Kenya in 2007 as a result of power struggles, but the war was shorten because there is no oil and most important natural resources compare to South Sudan. Central republic of Africa has unending conflict but international community remained silent without taking any actions in those countries, the question is why, countries like Congo, South Sudan and Nigeria has wars but poor countries remain in peace yearly?
This tends to erode governments’ abilities to function effectively because most of government officials looks at country’s natural resources as their own properity.There are several main types of relationships between natural resources and armed conflicts, a live case study of Uganda troops being taken to south Sudan without the concern of Uganda’s parliamentarians to whom, gentlemen agreement (18 December, 2013/2014). First, resource curse effects can undermine the quality of governance and economic performances in oil producing countries, thereby increasing the vulnerability of countries to conflicts, the ‘resource curse’ and resource war argument.
The writer can be reached for comment at delonymajak@gmail.com
