Many conflicts are exacerbated by policies of ethnic expulsion, exclusion, or annihilation. During the 1990s alone, there have been 39 major conflicts with at least 1,000 deaths per conflict in any one year. More than 4 million people have been killed in violent conflicts since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Over 100 million land mines are deployed worldwide. Anti-personnel land mines claim more than 25,000 casualties each year and obstruct reconstruction and development.
Reconstruction is slow, costly, and uncertain, and resources are limited.
In Sierra Leone, for example, the capture of rich diamond mines by rebels and the subsequent sale abroad, is one of the main reasons for renewed bloodshed in the war-stricken country. While the most powerful risk factor for civil war is heavy national reliance on exports of primary commodities, other factors such as history, the size of diasporas, economic decline, and the ethnic and religious composition of a country also play a significant role. Recent history is highly relevant If a country has recently had a civil war, its risk of further conflict is much higher. Immediately after the end of hostilities there is a 40 percent chance of further conflict. This risk then falls at around one percentage point for each year of peace.