The Dilemma of Civilians Caught in an Armed Conflict

What becomes a full blown armed conflict usually begins with a small grievance which is most often neglected by those in position to solve them. The English adage which says “a stitch in time saves nine” is more often than not neglected with grievous consequences. A simple demand that could have been solved with just the click of fingers may become what will plunge the entire country into untold hardship. Once the level of frustration increases and the population becomes engaged in a conflict, it becomes very difficult to control what happens. This is because other sub groups spring up and even if the initial demand is met, it will be insufficient to quell the anger of the already aggrieved population,. This is because many opportunist groups spring up with varied demands that make it near impossible for those in authority to address. Peace is priceless. But this is a lesson that is learned a little too late as many people join peaceful or violent demonstration with little or no idea of the consequences of their actions. Many are coerced to belief that the government will bow to pressure and grant their demands. Far from it! What befalls them is senseless loss of lives and property, hunger, poverty, fragmentation of the society, mass exodus of people and total lawlessness. Lucy Nkongho Diffang ""The Dilemma of Civilians Caught in an Armed Conflict"" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-3 | Issue-3 , April 2019, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd22804.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/social-science/22804/the-dilemma-of-civilians-caught-in-an-armed-conflict/lucy-nkongho-diffang