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Mapping Conflict Motives in War Areas
Tackling a problem starts with a complete understanding of it. In order to resolve wars, we need to understand what drives them. Therefore IPIS has launched a research project funded by the EU and the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to develop a research tool that should make it easier to analyse and discuss war motives in conflict areas. The most distinguishing feature of the analytic tool is a collection of maps. Maps are a verifiable and unambiguous source of information. When made with sufficient care, they are an ideal source for an objective analysis.
The tool
How the research tool is conceived is explained in a methodological handbook. The handbook compiles insights from a wide range of scientific literature and is a sincere effort to work in an interdisciplinary way on the issue of war motivation. It contains an overview of the current literature on the causes and drivers of war and explains how the geographic tool should be applied.
The handbook is still a work in progress. The version currently published on the website will be expanded and changed throughout the course of the project.
Read the handbook (PDF, 457 kB) (updated version August 2008)
Analyses
Central African Republic 02-2009
IPIS' third mapping analysis studies the conflict dynamics in an almost unknown neighbour of the DR Congo: the Central African Republic.
Central African Republic
Eastern DRC 03-2008
The Eastern DRC case-study deals with the Congolese provincies of North Kivu and northern South Kivu for the period September 2007 - January 2008. Un update will be published by mid-2009.
Eastern DRC
Katanga 06-2007
The Katanga case was a challenging first try of our research tool since the Congolese province is a post-conflict area rather than a war zone. Still our method proved to be useful in explaining the motivations of the large groups of ex-combatants present on the Katangese territory.
Katanga
The analyses are published within the framework of the international Fatal Transactions campaign (www.fataltransactions.org).
Updates
Katanga 2007-2008
From September 2007 on, every three months an update will be published on the initial analysis of the conflict situation in Katanga. The updates will include new ‘dynamic’ maps and a short briefing paper. The updates are financed by the Dutch NGO NiZa.
Katanga - updates
Related research
Militarised Mining Areas in the Kivus 08-2009
The MiMiKi map constitutes a geographic attempt to clarify the issue of profit by armed groups from the extractive industry in the east of the DRCongo. The project was financed by the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool Fund, a Joint UK Government Approach to Preventing and Reducing Conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa
Militarised mining areas in the Kivus
Mapping Conflict Motives in War Areas is a new and to a certain extent experimental research project. IPIS welcomes all comments and suggestions for improvement at: mapping at ipisresearch dot be
Read two interviews about the project on the "Exploring Geopolitics" website: "Cartografische Conflictanalyse in Afrika" (February 2008, Dutch) and "Geopolitical Briefing on Democratic Republic Congo" (October 2008, English).
 “This project is funded by the European Union and the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The content of this project is the sole responsibility of IPIS and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union or the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs” 
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