Rapport - 1 april, 2003
War in postcolonial Africa has often been marked by competition for control of natural resources.
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Executive summary: While the key role of profits from the exploitation of oil, diamonds, coltan and other minerals in conflicts in Angola, the Congos, Sudan, Chad, Liberia and Sierra Leone is finally gaining the international attention it deserves, the call from the international community to stop the role of the timber trade in fuelling war economies is only now emerging. Tropical timber is a high value product which is easily exploitable and readily marketable. With relatively low investments, logging can quickly generate big profits. This is why timber has often proven to be a preferred commodity for financing armed conflicts.
Num. pages: 6