cascao cortona gambella sharing water land resources

GAMBELLA: Sharing land and water

resources across borders and boundaries

Ethiopia

Sudan

Summer  School “Borders and Border-Crossings in Africa”AEGIS (Africa-Europe Group for Interdisciplinary Studies)

Cortona (Italy), 16-22 June 2008

POLITICAL BORDERS

Gambellaregion

Borderlands are sites and symbols of power

(Donnan and Wilson)

GEOGRAPHICAL BORDERS

Baro River

Akobo River

Sobat River

Gilo River

White Nile River

Rivers do not always respect national borders

(IUCN)

WATER BORDERS

BORDERS ARE STATICSTATIC

WATER IS MOVEABLEMOVEABLE

LAND IS VARIABLEVARIABLE

AND AND POPULATIONS?POPULATIONS?

Sudd - One of the largest wetlands in the world

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS MAP?

POPULATIONS - MULTIPLE BOUNDARIES

Sudan

Ethiopia

Centre

Periphery

Highlands

Lowlands

Locals

Outsiders

Settlers

Nomads

Dryseason Wet season

LA

ND

WA

TE

R

Sudan

Ethiopia

Centre

Periphery

Highlands

Lowlands

Locals

Outsiders

Settlers

Nomads

Dryseason Wet season

IDENTITY BOUNDARIES – reality or politics?

NUER ANUAK

HIGHLANDERS REFUGEE?

COMPETING FOR RESOURCESacross borders and boundaries

LA

ND

WA

TE

R

PO

WE

R

Access

Ownership

Distribution

Migration

Politics

Conflict

RESOURCES

POWER

WHERE IS THE BORDER?

80s Highlanders

80s Army

and Refugees90s U

rban

Dw

ellers

+ M

ovem

ent

90s/2000s

Pastoralists

90s/2000s

Pastoralists

90s/

2000

s P

asto

ralis

ts

90s/

2000

s

Pas

tora

lists

Conflict

Conflict

GAMBELLA-CONFLICTS WITHOUT

BORDERS• Pressure over the land • Pressure over riverian areas• Ecological degradation• Conflicts between social groups• Competition for power and wealth• Blurred lines of conflict• Potential for border disputes• Risk of political manipulation of competition for

resources

Are we talking about Gambella?Could be Darfur!

Thanks for your attention!

Ana Elisa CascãoKing’s College of London

ana.cascao@kcl.ac.uk