Transcript Topic Area Background - SoCal

SoCal-LD.net Debate Camp 2007
Topic Area Background
California Baptist University
October 12, 2007
Sudan
 Sudan
achieved independence from
Britain in 1956.
 The first Sudanese Civil War, between the
largely Islamic north and the largely
Christian and animist south, lasted from
1956-1972.
 The second Civil War lasted from 1983
until January 9, 2005.
Darfur Region of Sudan
 3.5
million in the region are reliant on
humanitarian aid for survival.
 These efforts are being organized by the
UN office of OCHA, the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
 2.2 million people in Darfur are IDPs
(Internally Displaced People).
Darfur Region of Sudan
 An Arab
militia, known as the Janjaweed,
has been tasked with settling disputes
between Darfur tribes.
 Many sources report that the Janjaweed
have been guilty of genocidal acts during
the last 4 years.
Recent News
5, 2006 – The African Union brokered
a peace deal between the Sudanese
government and the largest rebel group in
Darfur, but the violence has continued
since.
 UNICEF reports that 80 children/day die of
malnutrition due to the violence preventing
humanitarian assistance.
 May
Recent News
 In
July of this year, Sudan experienced
flooding over much of the country. U.N.
sent $13.5 million but said that much more
would be needed from major nations.
 400,000 people were affected, and 3.5
million are now at risk of epidemics as a
result of the flooding.
 Between 200,000 and 400,000 dead in
Darfur.
Eritrea
Eritrea
 Eritrea
was absorbed as a province of
Ethiopia, which resulted in a war with
Ethiopia from 1961 to 1991.
 Eritrea gained independence in 1993.
 They fought a border war with Ethiopia
from 1998-2000, and it recently reignited.
 They are currently trying to overcome
decades of war by using their military
forces to rebuild, and increase their
agricultural capacity.
Djibouti
Djibouti
 Djibouti
gained its independence from the
French in 1977. It used to be called,
“French Somaliland”.
 Djibouti is home to Camp Le Monier, a
major U.S. military based used in
Operation Enduring Freedom.
 The U.N. reports that 30,000 people in
Djibouti face severe food shortages after
two years of poor rains.
Djibouti
 Due
to the lack of industry or natural
resources, the unemployment rate hovers
between 40 and 50%.
 The government is heavily in debt to
foreign aid donors.
Somalia
Somalia
 Somalia
gained independence in 1960.
 The weak central government only
controls the geographically central area of
the country.
 Most of the country is rules by tribal
warlords and various tribal militias.
 Somalian muslim militias are currently
fighting a war with Ethiopia.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia
 Ethiopia
is now land-locked, ever since
Eritrea got independence in 1993.
 Ethiopia hosts the headquarters of the
African Union.
 Was formerly known as “Abyssinia”
 There is only 1 doctor for every 100,000
Ethiopians, and there are more Ethiopiatrained doctors in Chicago than there are
in Ethiopia.
Kenya
Kenya
 Gained
their independence from Britain in
1963.
 One of the best economies in the Greater
Horn, with a GDP per capita of $1200 and
around 6% annual growth. (Average GDP
per capita in sub-saharan Africa is about
$600)
Tanzania
Tanzania
 Gained
independence from Britain, and
formed from a merger between
Tanganyika and Zanzibar in 1964.
 Relatively politically stable in the last
several years.
 GDP per capital about half of Kenya’s but
with a much faster growth rate due mainly
to Gold reserves and other natural
resources.
Uganda
Uganda
 Uganda
is fairly well-off economically
within the region, but is dependent on
foreign aid.
 Human rights abuses are rampant, from
the national security forces who are
commonly accused of torture, to the rebel
Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) which
resorts to kidnapping children to fight in
their army.
Rwanda
Rwanda
 Most
famous for the 100 day genocide in
which somewhere between 500,000 and 1
million were killed, most by machetes.
 The genocide was primarily an attack on
the traditionally higher-class Tutsi from the
traditionally lower-class Hutus.
 The two people groups were historically
intermixed, but were developed separate
identities when the colonial Belgians put
the Tutsi in charge of the government.
Rwanda
 90%
of the people of Rwanda are
subsistence farmers.
 Due to massive foreign investment and
relatively stable political leadership, the
country is showing signs of rapid
development.
Burundi
Burundi
 With
a GDP per capita of $90, Burundi is
the poorest country on planet Earth.
 Burundi has very few natural resources.
 According to the World Food Programme,
a majority of Burundian children under 5
suffer from chronic malnutrition.
 Like Rwanda, Burundi has suffered from
civil wars and genocide between Hutus
and Tutsi.
Overarching Plan Ideas
 Food Aid
(or Food Aid Reform)
 AIDS
 Infrastructure
Development
 Malaria
 Agriculture
Tech
 Political Assistance
 Security Guarantees
?