Managed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the grant will benefit Liberia, Sudan, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Sierra Leone, Burundi and Nepal in southern Asia.

"The environmental consequences of war are an aspect that is often overlooked. Restoring the environment is a means of preventing continued conflicts, and cooperation on environmental issues can also be a force for peace,"  says Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson.

The aid comes as most of those African countries are recovering from years of bloody civil wars, which not only took millions of human lives but also ruined the environment. Hundreds of thousands of displaced and refugees hasten the deforestation phenomenon that affects most of sub-Saharan Africa, as their extensive use of fire wood is not easy to control.

Moreover, wildlife suffers a lot from poaching by armed groups on the one hand and from the displaced in search for their daily food. With the war in the DRC, poachers –mostly armed militia and rebels- nearly exterminated the last mountain gorillas.

"Action to protect the environment and restore natural resources is also important to create conditions for subsistence and development, not least in areas where many poor people are dependent on fishing or agriculture and forestry", added Gunilla Carlsson.

While there is no doubt about the choice of the beneficiaries, analysts still wonder why countries around the Sahara desert, which are also affected by conflicts, are not benefiting from the grant. Chad, the Central African Republic and Uganda are not only witnessing frightening desertification but also highly exposed to deforestation as they harbour thousands of refugees.