CONVOCATION 26 September 2024: 36 Wars Are Destroying Our Planet

36 Wars Are Destroying Our Planet


Other than the two wars that are shown daily on the screens, Israel against Gaza and the war between Russia and Ukraine, it is estimated that last year there were at least 36 open conflicts in the world. Some investigatory teams raise this number to 56, calling some of them zones of tension. The regions with the most armed conflicts are central Africa, south Asia and the Middle East. Currently, there are also 40 peace processes underway, with very different results.

The Sahel is a hotspot on the continent of Africa. It is a strip that crosses several countries with entrenched violence since 2012: Senegal, Mali, Burkina-Faso, Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia… suffering coup d’états, combat between various regular armies and other armed actors, rebel groups and jihadists, etc. These are joined by French armed forces, the Blue Helmets of the UN, Russia (the mercenaries of Wagner) and Turkey. The largest number of persons assassinated and ten million displaced is Sudan, in the midst of intense combat between the army and paramilitaries in which there have been ethnic murders and massacres of civilians. It is speculated that the paramilitary forces of Sudan receive weapons from the United Arab Emirates.

The various armed conflicts provoke the absence of human rights and great migratory movements (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia). It is easy to classify the confrontations as civil or internal wars, when in reality there are many more actors involved. Remember that China is quietly taking the resources and commerce of Africa.

Something similar is happening in the Middle East and Asia with conflicts that seem never to cease: Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma). But in the mix, in one region and another, there are some nations such as Iran, USA, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Mixed in with Syria are the interests of Turkey, Russia, Qatar and once again Saudi Arabia. These same countries are involved in the territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Yemen, with 4.5 million displaced people, has been at war for 10 years, another internal conflict in which the United Kingdom is involved, as well as the above indicated countries. Before Gaza, Yemen was the scene where the most minors were affected by the combat: according to UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), more than 11,000 have been killed or have been wounded or mutilated. Spain manufactures and exports weapons used in this war.

Women in Black against war:

Denounce the participation of our country and of the European Union in maintaining these wars through commerce in armaments.

Demand the commitment of the international community to promote negotiations and peace agreements, and not to derive some economic or political benefit from the increase in violence.

We demand human rights protections and individual and collective liberties for the civil society, given that these tend to disappear in all situation of conflict.

No war is small, all war affects the global ecosystem.

May we base the resolution of conflicts on common interests and on the protection of our planet.


Translation: Trisha Novak, USA – Yolanda Rouiller, WiB Spain


Comentarios

Mujeres de Negro de Madrid

Mujeres de Negro de Madrid
En la Plaza Mayor, primera convocatoria