environmental degradation as a cause of conflict in - Steiner Graphics

CONCLUSIONTHE collection of papers presented here has two main themes, environmentaldegradation and ethnic conflict in Darfur. The former theme has profoundimplications for both farmers and herders; the latter is an ongoing reality inDarfur. The causal relationship between the two themes has yet to be fully explored,but it evidently exists. This is an area that requires further research.One issue not directly addressed in the papers presented here but which hasincreasingly come to the fore is the question of land ownership and rights to landin general. Some nomadic groups argue that they are disadvantaged, in contrast tosettled communities, because they do not have clearly-defined land rights. In theestimation of the present writer, land and land ownership will remain crucial to theresolution of the conflict in Darfur.A final comment: the present collection of papers underscores the necessityfor much more research. Darfur is, environmentally and ethnically, a very complexregion that defies simple categorisation. Before the long-term and short-term problemsof Darfur can be resolved, much more needs to be known about the region.R.S. O’Fahey94