Introduction
When we hear about a war in the news, it is usually between two countries. But civil wars-conflicts between people from the same country-occur far more frequently. What causes these conflicts, and how do they get resolved? There is no easy answer to this question, but we can learn a lot from recent conflicts in the world today.
The civil war in the Sudan is one of Africa's longest running wars. It began officially in 1983, but the conflict can be traced back to 1955, when southerners in the government army defected and began to fight against the ruling forces in the North. For the most part, the conflict has been a war of the poor against the poor, as the ruling government in Khartoum has had little money. That has changed in recent years, as oil companies have begun paying the government in exchange for extracting oil from Southern Sudan. Talisman Energy Inc., a Canadian oil company, purchased a 25% stake in the endeavor in 1998. With the money from the oil project, the government doubled its military budget and renewed its fight against the rebels in the South. While this was going on, some Canadians argued that Talisman should stop all oil activities in Sudan until there was peace; others said Talisman should sell its shares in the project and get out of Sudan. Another group insisted that the oil company was doing nothing wrong and that it should continue on. To find out what happened, click here.
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On February 27, 2002, a train traveling from Godhra, India was set ablaze by Muslim extremists. As the train traveled along its route, the fire spread through the boxcars quickly. Fifty-eight people, many of them women and children, died. This incident sparked India's worst religious violence in a decade. But while some cities burned with mobs and riots, others managed to avoid the violence that has plagued Muslim-Hindu relations for centuries. The Godhra train incident sheds some light on why, during times of conflict, some turn to violence and others maintain the peace. Click here to find out more.
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