African Genocide (Caroline Era)

The theory of the African Genocide is that the plague of Ukimwi which has caused a population crash in sub-Saharan Africa, could be easily and cheaply treated by developed countries or that if sufficient research and development had been applied to it, it could have been addressed more effectively. The reasons it is not, the theory claims, is that it serves the interests of the richer nations and organisations to have a depopulated continent from which resources can be plundered without the inconvenience of addressing human needs.

History
At the end of the New Elizabethan Era, a new viral disease arose in central Africa, possibly as a result of deforestation and the consumption of infected bushmeat, which proved to be uniformly fatal in the long term. This was not addressed by any healthcare organisation except in the form of palliative care or euthanasia. As it became more widespread, entire families died, infrastructure fell into disrepair and governments were unable to function. This led to a spiral of death and destruction as civil wars broke out, other forms of healthcare could not be delivered, crops failed or could not be harvested and so forth. Meanwhile in the UK, the NHDO began to produce anti-virals with relatively few side-effects. These were first used on serious viral diseases but soon became cheap enough to produce, given the absence of royalties, and considered safe enough, to be used for infections as minor as the common cold. At this point, it was expected by many that they would be released to the Red Cross, Red Crescent and other similar aid organisations, to deal with the situation in Africa. However, they were at no point made available to these groups and the purchase of more than a small quantity by non-governmental groups was prohibited.

As a result, many small ethnic groups in Africa have now completely disappeared and over much of sub-Saharan Africa there are only very few isolated communities left. In particular, South Africa was permitted to buy anti-virals in bulk and has effectively treated much of its population with them, with the exception of non-whites, i.e. the former majority of the population which is now almost non-existent. South Africa also invaded and claims the territory of the Front Line States, which are now virtually uninhabited.