Chris Blattman

Search
Close this search box.

Field notes: Do grasslands cause civil war?

Heavily forested or mountainous countries are said to be more prone to civil war since the rugged terrain can hinder conventional military forces and help insurgents hide and flee. Or so says the cross-country conflict literature.

What about those poor helpless rebel armies with only flat desert or savannah? I came across this photo of Jeannie driving to one of our field sites in northern Uganda, Orom, in 2006. This was the road. You should see the grass on the roadside.

It turns out that grasslands provide wonderful cover for guerrillas. Rebels could hide just steps away a vehicle, a homestead, or an army detach before launching an ambush–and often did so.

Orom was realtively rebel-free at the time the photo was taken, but Jeannie turned the car around after a few miles of this, and we decided to drop that half of Orom from the study. Way too risky for us and our survey enumerators. The guide kept saying, “it’s just past thaat mango tree.” After several such mango trees, his credibility waned.

In case you’re wondering: yes, those are large tacky tassels hanging off of the rearview mirror. It was a rental, and we bear no responsibility for what passes for road fashion in Kitgum.

Why We Fight - Book Cover
Subscribe to Blog