International conflicts

INTERNATIONAL CONFLICTS

The Colombian conflict (1964-2016)

It began approximately in 1964 between on the one side, the Colombian government and paramilitary groups, and on the other side left-wing guerrillas such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and the National Liberation Army (ELN). The guerrilla movements claimed to be fighting for the rights of the poor in Colombia to protect them from government violence and to provide social justice through Communism. The Colombian government claimed to be fighting for order and stability and to be seeking to protect the rights and interests of its citizens.

The president of Colombia Juan Manuel Santosand FARC leader Rodrigo Londoño 'Timochenko'shaking hands after signing a peace accord in Havana.

The crisis between Ukraine and Russia (2014 to today)

In 2014 the most serious crisis between the West and Russia since the Cold War took place in Ukraine. Ukraine was considered to be in transition since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and is a country of great geostrategic importance. This armed conflict has two sides: pro-Russian separatist militias supported by Russia and state forces under the new pro-European authorities.

A rebel armored fighting vehicles convoy near Donetsk, 2015.

Israeli-Palestinian conflict (1947 to today)

This conflict dates back to 1947, when a UN Resolution divided the territory of Palestine, then under a British mandate, into two states. The State of Israel was declared shortly afterwards (1948), though a Palestinian state has still failed to become a reality. The ownership of the land, which historically was known as Palestine, is disputed between two different groups: Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs.

A Palestinian boy is throwing stones at an Israeli tank during the First Intifada, 1987-1993.

The Sierra Leone Civil War (1991-2002)

Sierra Leone is a country rich in natural minerals and diamonds. For several years, the government mismanaged these natural resources and this led to the Sierra Leone Civil War. The intention of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was to take control of the country`s resources and overthrow that government. The president sent the Army to take back the areas controlled by the RUF. This resulted in poverty and warfare for Sierra Leone for the next 11 years.

Children next to a school destroyed during the war.

The Yugoslav Wars (1991-2001)

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was ruled by the dictator Josip Tito from 1945 to 1980. Yugoslavia was the only socialist state of the Cold War which maintained warm relations with the West and was considered an enemy of the Soviet Union. Josip Tito ruled Yugoslavia with an iron fist against movements that wanted the country broken up. After Tito’s death in 1980, nationalist tensions re-emerged. Calls for more autonomy within Yugoslavia led in 1991 to declarations of independence in Croatia and Slovenia, which started the Yugoslav War.

A mass grave around Vitez, Bosnia, 1993.

The Northern Ireland troubles (1968-1998)

It is an area of the United Kingdom where two communities, republican and unionist, were fighting: on the one hand, the Republicans wanted their area recognised as part of Ireland, and on the other hand, the Unionists were demanding that it remain as part of the UK. Bloody riots broke out in Derry in 1968 and British troops were brought in to restore order, but the conflict intensified as the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Protestant paramilitary groups carried out bombings and other violent acts.

This wall painted in Belfast is a testimony of the conflict.