Categories: Social Development

Interest Groups Response to the Conflicts

Groups with special interests
in specific regions or issues, depending on their unity and financial strength
are able to exert considerable influence on policymakers. They tend to draw
their strength from the diasporas, or from those sharing religious beliefs. Do
such interest groups exist for Africa in Western countries, and if they do, how
responsive are they concerning conflict on the continent? A number of such
organisations do exist, but their political power appears to be weak. This is
notable considering the proportion of the diasporas in some of these Western
countries. As many as 13 percent of Americans, for example, can trace their
origins to Africa.

Actions by the Interest groups

Trans-Africa is a
Washington-based organisation was established to increase the voice of
African-Americans in US foreign policy, but it focused primarily on ending
apartheid in South Africa. The organisation later turned its attention to Haiti
and Nigeria, but it appeared to attract little mainstream support in the West
(Berkeley, 2001: 88-90). Another group to note in the US was a loose grassroots
coalition known as Liberia Watch, which successfully lobbied the USA for a 200-million-dollar
aid package for Liberia.

Case of Christians response in conflict areas

Christians in Sudan were involved in helping people in conflict zones

Considerably stronger than these groups, however, are Christian lobby groups, who identify and
attempt to aid Christians that they see are being persecuted by non-Christians.
Their influence has been seen most in Sudan, and they have been both a major
provider of aid in southern Sudan (controversial because it was also being used
as a resource by south Sudanese rebel forces), and a political influence on
policymakers engaged in the peace process in Sudan. It can be said, however, that
the role of interest groups has been minimal in attracting sustained aid and
political attention in the West for the majority of African conflicts.

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