As Africa Dries Out, Water Shortages Drive Violence In Uganda Between Herders, Army

[hatrack]

It's been a bloody first half of the dry season in Uganda's Karamoja region. October to February is the time when grass turns brittle, mud dries and cracks, and competition for scarce resources increases. More than 40 people have died in recent weeks in fighting between Karimojong warriors and the Ugandan Army in the arid northeast of the country.

The semi-nomadic Karimojong are pastoralists who protect their cows, violently if necessary. The warriors are well-armed, and this has put them on a collision course with Uganda's government. But the recent clashes are a symptom of more universal problems.

As elsewhere in Africa, the population in eastern Uganda continues to grow as the environment deteriorates, putting more and more pressure on a land that grows ever drier. At a United Nations conference on climate change held in neighboring Kenya last month, environmentalists warned that Africa would bear the brunt of global warming.

With more people forced to share fewer resources, experts warn that conflict will increase. "Climate change will hit pastoral communities very hard," says Grace Akumu, executive director of environmental pressure group Climate Network Africa. "The conflict is already getting out of hand and we are going to see an increase in this insecurity."

EDIT

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/20/world/main2284273.shtml

[YankeyMCC]

1. k & r because

people need to see what is coming to the whole world if we continue to stick our heads in the sand.

[BayCityProgressive]

2. it's too late

Even now there will be a world wide catastrophe. The only thing we will prevent now is extinction.