Mining for peace: diamonds, bauxite, iron ore and political stability in Guinea

Abstract

The article explores the relationship between mineral resources and conflict management in Guinea. Literature on theories of recent civil wars and/or armed conflicts in West Africa identifies the combination of abundant natural resources and extreme poverty as a significant trigger of violent civil conflicts. In Guinea, however, despite this combination, the state has managed to avoid large-scale civil violence. This gives rise to the question of why this combination has failed to be associated with the onset of large-scale violence in the country. The article identifies mitigating factors that have contributed to political stability in Guinea. It concludes that measures taken by Guinea and its international partners mitigated the security threats posed by these resources, while keeping most Guineans in abject poverty. This is in contrast to findings in recent quantitative studies whereby natural resource abundance alongside extreme poverty is strongly associated with armed conflicts in West African nations.

Resisting War: Guinean Youth and Civil Wars in the Mano River Basin

“…These factors include the trans-generational effect of the socialisation process of young people nurtured by Touré during and after Guinea's struggle for independence, community-based anti-war sensitisation activities undertaken by community and religious leaders in local communities, existing social capital binding family and community ties, and the experiences and lessons learned from the consequences of civil war in neighbouring countries. These conclusions are in line with those of authors such as Bah (2014Bah ( , 2015Bah ( , 2016, Arieff (2009), and McGovern (2017), discussed above.…”

Ebola and alluvial diamond mining in West Africa: Initial reflections and priority areas for research

“…Recent research carried out in all three countries (e.g. Maconachie, 2012Maconachie, , 2011Van Bockstael, 2013;Hilson and van Bockstael, 2012;Bolay, 2014;Bah, 2014) shows how complex the organizational structures of these ASM camps are, and has uncovered details of the dynamic labour hierarchies that underpin them.…”