Issues in Africa

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Issues in Africa

• War, Famine, AIDS, Education

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What is the root of many of these issues?

• European Colonization!
• Led to disagreements between ethnic groups.
• Made education hard to get, so many Africans are
  not educated.
• Gave bad examples for leadership, influencing
  many countries in a negative way.
• The only country void of many problems is
  Ethiopia because it was never colonized (due to
  the fact that its surrounded by mountains!).

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Rwanda

• Issue between Hutus and Tutsis (two ethnic
  groups of the region)
• What caused the issue Hutus had taken control
  over Rwanda after European rule, treating the
  Tutsi as underlings. Hutus often held the higher,
  more important positions in society.
• What sparked the war Hutus believed that Tutsis
  shot down a plane carrying the Hutu president,
  Juvenal Habyarimana, on April 6, 1994

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Rwanda

• Tutsis were blamed for the murder (current
  president Paul Kagame was named as one
  conspirator).
• From April 1994 to June 1994 Hutus slaughtered
  over 800,000 Tutsi and their supporters.
• People were killed on the streets, at random, by
  machetes and clubs.

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Rwanda

• Outside involvement Prior to the genocide, the
  United Nations came in and took all guns.
• When the genocide was taking place, the UN was
  aware and did what they could to remove all
  non-Rwandan citizens from the premises.
• France is believed to have been involved in
  protecting Hutus during and after the genocide.
• The United States refused to recognize that what
  was happening in Rwanda was actual genocide.

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Rwanda Today

• Many Hutus involved in Genocide fled the country.
• Tutsi families are trying to recover from their
  losses.

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Darfur, Sudan

• Darfur makes up the western half of Sudan.
• The Issue Black Africans feel that they have
  been, and continue to be, oppressed by the Arab
  Africans in this region.
• How did the fighting start In 2003, Black
  African rebel groups began targeting and killing
  government targets in Darfur.
• This was said to be because the Sudanese
  government, headquartered in Khartoum (capital),
  was ignoring the discrimination in this region.

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Who are the Rebels?

• Black African Rebels Sudan Liberation Army and
  the Justice and Equality Movement.
• Arab African Rebels Janjaweed
• It is believed that the Janjaweed are the ones
  carrying out the Genocide of the Black Africans.

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Government Involvement

• The Sudanese government is taking action against
  rebel attacks, but deny involvement with the
  Janjaweed and their Genocide.
• It is noted, however, that after Sudans army
  leaves an area, they are quickly followed by the
  Janjaweed who murder many of the men and rape
  many of the women.

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Outside Involvement

• The UN has sent in a peace-keeping troop to help
  out.
• The African Union, a group of African countries,
  has also recognized the issues and come in to
  help.
• The United States has recognized the genocide
  happening in this region.

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Darfur Today

• The issue continues to exist!

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Sierra Leone- Conflict Diamonds

• Sierra Leone, a small country off of the western
  coast of Africa, is known for its vast diamond
  mines.
• In the 1990s, it was believed that the corrupt
  government of Sierra Leone began using the money
  from the gems to further themselves, rather than
  their people.
• A rebel group, called the RUF (Revolutionary
  United Front), banded together to fight for
  diamond revenues.

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Sierra Leone- Conflict Diamonds

• The RUF, led by Foday Sankoh, was a brutal army
  of adult and child soldiers. They were known for
  treating their newest members harshly and
  promoting drug use.
• The RUF took control of the diamond mines and did
  not allow anyone outside of their group to use
  the area.
• They forced laborers to dig around the mines to
  find what they could.

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Sierra Leone- Conflict Diamonds

• Those laborers that did anything out of line were
  treated with harsh punishments.
• The RUF was known for cutting of limbs,
  especially hands, as a punishment.
• The RUF raided villages around Sierra Leone,
  tearing households apart, raping women, and
  taking men into their group by force. The often
  brainwashed the children to become soldiers
  against their own people.

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Sierra Leone- Conflict Diamonds

• Thousands of people have been killed in Sierra
  Leone over the diamond mines.
• Child soldiers are being used on all sides of the
  struggle.
• Peace agreements have been made, and changes have
  taken place, but there are still some issues in
  the area.

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Sierra Leone- Conflict Diamonds

• A conflict diamond is a diamond that is purchased
  from someone who is involved in the conflicts in
  this region.
• Many men and women buy diamonds and have no idea
  where they came from. It is important to ask!

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Famine in Africa

• Famine- lack of food leading to starvation, and
  often death.
• There is famine all over Africa due to
  overgrazing, desertification, lack of fresh
  water, overpopulation, and pollution.
• Some countries have more issues than others.
• World organizations are trying to help!

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HIV and AIDS in Africa

• AIDS is found more prevalently in Sub-Saharan
  Africa.
• AIDS is most often spread from sexual relations,
  drugs, and from mother to child during child
  birth.
• AIDS is spreading because of a lack of education,
  funding for research and medicine, and trained
  physicians.

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Statistics

• Over 1.6 million people have died from AIDS in
  Africa throughout the past year.
• Over 22.5 million people have contracted HIV/AIDS
  throughout the past year, with thousands more
  cases that are undiagnosed.
• East African countries with high AIDS rates are
  Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
• AIDS has led to thousands of children being left
  parentless.

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Illiteracy and Education in Africa

• Approximately 2 out of every 5 people cannot read
  or write.
• Women and Young Girls are not given the
  opportunity to get an education in many
  countries.
• The AIDS Epidemic is spreading because people
  dont know any better.
• Many Africans are unable to get high paying jobs.
• African Farmers are often underpaid for their
  crops.
• Many Africans stay in poverty because of
  illiteracy!

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Other Issues in Africa

• Malaria
• Malaria is spread by mosquitoes.
• Big in warmer/wetter areas of Africa
• Gives flu-like symptoms that can lead to death if
  untreated.
• Cholera in Zimbabwe
• Cholera is similar to a flu only worse. It gives
  you severe diarrhea and can kill you in a matter
  of hours.
• It is contracted by drinking contaminated water.