Acronymically Speaking, War Means “Waste All Resources” -By Isaac Asabor

It is not an exaggeration to say that not a few people who usually come across as tribal jingoists or warmongers, particularly on social media platforms lack understanding of the debilitating and destructive nature of war. The reason for their collective ignorance cannot be farfetched as most of them were either born after the Nigerian Civil War or were never students of the history of the wars that ravaged Liberia, and the ones that are presently ravaging Ukraine, Russia, and Sudan.

As if the level of ignorance about the dangers of war they kept displaying publicly is not bad enough, they are equally not aware that there were at least 15 countries with active armed conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa in 2019. The countries cut across Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is unfortunate that most tribal jingoists and warmongers do not understand the dangers that are inherent in war. According to Amnesty International, “Millions of people have their lives shattered by armed conflict, wars, every year.

“Some of these conflicts, notably Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, play out between states, but many more occur within a single state’s borders. In Syria, government forces, long supported by Russia, continue to fight foreign-backed armed groups for control of territory. In Somalia, fighters from the Al-Shabaab armed group continue to resist the government’s attempts to extend its control.

“No matter the cause of war or the forces involved, the results are often the same. Armed conflicts mean a devastating loss of civilian life, massive displacement, and violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

“From Afghanistan to Yemen, Amnesty International documents and campaigns against violations of international law during armed conflicts, regardless of who the perpetrator is or where the abuse occurs. Amnesty sheds light on the increased risk of harm to at-risk groups, such as older people, children, and people with disabilities. Amnesty also supports survivors’ demands for justice and accountability from national authorities and international institutions including the UN and International Criminal Court”.

Without a doubt, civilians in virtually every war fought were reported to have faced huge risks of harm in the course of the wars witnessed by them. These include women, older people, people with disabilities, and children.

Statistically speaking, “In 2021, more than 19,000 children were either recruited as child soldiers; killed or maimed; subjected to sexual violence; or abducted in armed conflicts. The greatest number of these UN-verified violations took place in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Myanmar, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. Former child soldiers and others perceived to be affiliated with armed groups are often unlawfully detained and subjected to torture, as Amnesty has reported on in Northeast Nigeria, or given little to no support to access education or to respond to their physical and mental health needs, as the organization documented in northern Iraq.

“In many conflicts, fighting forces continue to use sexual violence against women and girls to deliberately inflict lasting physical and psychological damage. Amnesty International has documented how Ethiopian troops and militia, Eritrean soldiers, as well as fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, have subjected women and girls to rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, sexual mutilation, and other forms of torture.

Amnesty International has also carried out extensive research into the impact of conflict on older people. The organization found that older people in Northeast Nigeria have suffered in unique ways from the conflict between the military and Boko Haram that has raged for almost a decade. Amnesty revealed how many older people starved or were slaughtered in their homes, or were left to languish and die in squalid, unlawful military detention.

“While researching the war’s impact on people with disabilities, Amnesty International found that millions of Yemenis with disabilities struggled to access even the most basic humanitarian aid. Many were left behind as their families fled fighting, often because wheelchairs, crutches, and other devices made it too difficult to escape. And, as in many conflict settings, access to psychosocial support was very hard to come by.”

As gathered, war to a large extent affects a country, particularly as the destruction of infrastructure as a result of war can create a catastrophic collapse in the social interrelated structure, infrastructure services, education, and health care system. Not only that, the destruction of schools and educational infrastructure can lead to a decline in education in any country that is affected by war.

Given the foregoing analysis, it is not an exaggeration to say that the acronym W.A.R. simply means “Waste All Resources”.