Far too many times have I listen to folks assert that the international community wastes resources by throwing money at the “problem” of famine and violent conflict in Africa. This is a huge misconception. In fact, the money that the international community spends is at best miniscule in comparison with the amount of profit the international community gains from the exportation of Africa’s natural resources.

Take oil in Sudan for instance- South Sudan is an impoverished and violence stricken country rich in oil that is exported throughout the global community for profit. The travesty in this is that the world does not recognize that the Sudanese only represent 5 percent of corporations that profit from oil exportation while 95 percent are represented by foreign countries. Herein is the real problem- gross exploitation.

What we see here is yet another case foreign power taking advantage of Africa’s instability to facilitate the build-up its own wealth. This is the real cause of famine and violent conflict in Africa.The pouring of money into Africa is not only a farce, but it threaten to perpetuate annihilation the continent’s people as it lures the global community’s attention away from true origin of Africa’s problems.

I would argue if rewarded with a more equitable share of profits from its natural sources, Africa would not need the international community’s money for humanitarian aid, building infrastructure, or anything else. It would be far better equipped to manage it problems itself. What do YOU think???

MAJ Robert L Perry, Student, Command and General Staff College, US Army Combined Arms Center, FT Leavenworth, KS
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of defense, or the US Government.