1, July 2011
Rene Mbuli
Political Analyst and Leader of Opinion
Action for Peace and Development (ASSOPED)
New York City, USA
Email: assoyopped@gmail.com
To: The African Heads of State and the Chairman of the AU Commission
E-mail: Chairperson@africa-union.org
Subject: A Clarion Call for Greater Action by the AU
Dear Elders and Leaders of our Beloved Continent,
It is with pain in my heart that I send this letter to you, as a son of the Continent, with the hope that it will be read and that concrete actions will be taken to stop the blatant act of neo-imperialism that is taking place on African grounds in this age of globalization. Cognizant of the fact that the AU has as vision to create “an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in global arena”; acknowledging the smooth progress the AU has made in the economic development of the Continent and integration through the Regional Economic Communities (RECs); mindful of the political progress made in Sudan and the commitment and dedication of African forces under AMISOM in Somalia; affirming the successes achieved in the Great Lakes region , particularly in Burundi and to some extent the DRC as well as Chad and Guinea Bissau; it is however frustrating to realize the AU’s incapacity in imposing its presence in the face of the political conundrum that is plaguing the North African State of Libya.
In the course of the Arab spring, the Continent and the world witnessed the re-definition of people-power, this time pioneered and championed by the youths in an effort to guarantee a better future for themselves and to meet the rest of the world at the cross-road of democracy. In Tunisia and Egypt, the protests took an unarmed and “non-violent” course, albeit small cases of clashes with the military and riot police. The genuine nature of these two cases were met with successes and set both countries on the path to clean democracy.
In Libya, the peaceful protest which started on 15 February 2011 soon escalated into a civil war barely weeks after. The crisis pitched a group of rebels who named themselves the National Transitional Council (NTC) based in Benghazi against the forces Loyal to the Guide of the Libyan revolution, Colonel Mouamar El-Gaddaffi. The Libyan government’s response by repression against peaceful protesters in the beginning of the revolution was worth condemning. However, the Libyan uprising carries doubtful spots with it. The fact that the protest quickly turned violent with heavy artillery involved in just a few days, and the swift response by France and allies - Germany and the United Kingdom (all former imperial powers) - in influencing the forging of a UN Resolution (Resolution 1970) on 26 February 2011 raises some black and white questioning. In an effort to analytically connect the dots, one would doubt if this uprising in Libya was not pre-planned by France while seizing the opportunity of the ongoing protests in Tunisia and Egypt. What are the politico-economic stakes for Europe, of a Libya without Mouamar Gaddafi, at a period when the world in general and the Western countries in particular are struggling to get out of the present economic gas chamber? The protest in Tunisia and Egypt took the world by surprise; meanwhile enough time had elapsed to plan a protest in Libya in the midst of distractions.
France, the guest that has outstayed its presence, has a long negative resume on the Continent’s political history, from colonialism, to orchestrating coups d’états and supporting rebel groups; all in the guise of protecting its evil interests. From the DRC to Chad, Biafra, Rwanda and Burundi, facts on the onslaughts by French-backed rebel groups and how their actions have destabilized countries and regions abound. It is therefore not surprising that France was the first Western power to recognize the members of the rebel NTC in exile, which they in my opinion, secretly sponsored from the very beginning. The questions one should ask are the following. What do we know about these rebels and their leaders? What are their backgrounds and what constituencies do they represent? Are they Al Qaeda elements as the Gaddafi regime claimed? If so, would the West be arming and supporting the very terrorists they claim to be fighting in the Middle East and Asia? Are these rebels accepted by the majority of the Libyan population or they are a mere product of France, a stepping stone to take over the control of Libyan oil? These are questions that need to be asked by the Libyan people and Africans in general while seeking a peaceful solution to the ongoing political imbroglio in Libya.
On 17 March 2011, the UN Security Council passed another French proposed Resolution 1973 to impose a “No Fly Zone” and use “all means necessary” to “protect civilians” in Libya. In order to avoid open criticism, they sought the involvement of the Arab League by brandishing the “humanitarian” ticket. This UN resolution therefore gave France in particular and some superpowers another legal permission to fulfill a masked and evil agenda on the African soil. Despite the genuineness and laudability of this UN initiative to restore peace in Libya by calling for an immediate ceasefire; the actions of NATO forces and the declarations of diplomats of the leading nations engaged in the anti-Gaddafi campaign have painted the true picture of their underlying intentions. These intentions were quickly observed by the Arab League as attested by the failed attempts by its Secretary General Amr Moussa to reconsider its support for NATO’s intervention in Libya after watching the onslaught on Libyan civilians by the Coalition Forces. Today, Russia, China and Brazil have joined the African voices to condemn NATO’s flawed intervention. To make things worse, U.S. Admiral Samuel Locklear, commander of the NATO Joint Operations Command in Naples reportedly confessed that part of their hidden mission is to kill Libyan Leader Gaddafi.
Moreover, France has taken the crisis in Libya very personal by openly distributing assorted heavy weapons to rebel forces without consulting with its NATO allies. This gross violation of UN Resolution 1970 and 1973 on arms embargo was simply swept under the rug by western diplomats and media instead of constituting strong reasons to stop all NATO airstrikes?
In Bahrain, Syria and Yemen, horrendous actions are being carried out by the military and police against unarmed civilians struggling for democracy through non-violent peaceful protests but so far, not a single UN resolution has been adopted against the tyrants of these countries. In the meantime, NATO is engaged in a saga of force and imperialistic gratification in Libya despite the killing of innocent civilians; the same lives it set forth to “protect”.
Why is Libya such a necessary target for France? Could it be that the Western powers in general , and France in particular have been greatly affected by Gaddafi’s nationalization of Libyan oil and his decision to trade Libyan oil solely to countries like Russia, China and India? Could it be because of his numerous investments on the Continent such as the Pan-African Communications satellites and RASCOM that ended Africa’s dependency on European-owned satellites, thereby costing them financial lost? Could it be his determination to achieve Africa’s economic flight through the United States of Africa project, with a single African parliament, army and currency?
Dear leaders, the sons and daughters of Africa firmly condemn the actions of NATO forces in Libya and call for more concrete actions from you. Africa should no longer be the toy of the West; neither should it be a testing ground for its newly manufactured artilleries like the US drones and other heavy weapons. We abhor the fact that the AU was bypassed and its say in a conflict that falls within its area of jurisdiction was completely ignored as if the Continent had no mechanism for conflict resolution.
In the face of all these opaque actions and extreme cruel form of double standards practiced by the Western superpowers in the Arab spring; it is appalling that the AU has not put its foot on the ground to make its presence felt. In a spirit of fairness, it is worth acknowledging the tenacity of the five point AU Road Map set by the High Level ad hoc Committee as well as other personal and group mediation attempts to seek a solution to the Libyan crisis. However, the AU remains impotent in the present dispositions. The rebels through their Chairman Mustafa Abdul Jabril have clearly rejected your March 2011 proposed Road Map for a cease-fire on conditions that Gaddafi and sons leave power. Given this political deadlock, what new strategy for peace has the Peace and Security Council of the AU come up with? The AU has so far ended at condemnations of NATO’s actions and reminding the international community of the availability of the Road Map.
As if in a class full of elementary school pupils, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton bluntly warned and ordered African leaders in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to call for the departure of Colonel Qaddafi and to suspend operations of Libya’s embassies, open avenues to the Libyan rebels and send away diplomats loyal to Colonel Qaddafi. I support the democracy drive in Libya and join the voices of many who ask for political change in Libya as well as elsewhere on the continent , but I oppose the idea of a Western imposed modus operandi for change(with hidden agendas) in Libya and on the Continent.
Recently, during the AU High level meeting under the guise of the 17th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council in Malabo, as Chair of the AU Commission, you re-iterated in the presence of guess delegates from Serbia, Slovenia, Cuba, China and Japan, the need for a political solution to the Libyan conflict. This was a good move as it reminded Africa’s position to the international community. Nonetheless, speeches alone would not salvage the cause. What I believe the AU should do in case of continuous deadlock is to:
- Draft a very strong Resolution/Decision by its Executive Council with clear ultimatums to the belligerence in the Libyan conflict, both government and rebel. The Resolution should give NATO forces an immediate order to stop all air strikes in order to make way for a political solution.
- Condemn the use of force by the Libyan Government against civilians and order the government to stop all offensives against the rebels.
- Ask the rebels to stop all attacks and military operations which are contrary to the spirit of peaceful protest and constitute according to the AU, an illegal means of guaranteeing political change.
- Ask the international community to through the UN to send an immediate peacekeeping force to form a buffer zone between Tripoli, Benghazi and Misrata to guarantee a cease-fire.
- Plan and constitute an AU peacekeeping force to join the UN forces on ground.
- Convene a preliminary meeting between the leaders of the NTC and the government officials outside Libya to pave the way for greater discussions and negotiations.
- Call for a high-level panel delegation of UN and AU delegates to investigate and mediate; measure the demands and request of each belligerent while seeking ways of leading the country to a phase of democracy without a division of the country.
The AU has demonstrated disunity in the face of the Arab Spring and this kills the very nature of the Organization’s existence. While some African countries out-rightly condemned the Western venture in Libya; Gabon, South Africa, Nigeria and recently Senegal, joined the Western front to support a “No Fly Zone”; indirectly condoning the shelling of civilians and the mortification of the continent. The AU has to be unanimous about its decisions and positions and speak with one voice instead of demonstrating confusion and being proxies to the views of different Western countries. It is time the other nations of the world learn to do things the African way as long as it produces the desired outcomes, while preserving the dignity and pride of the Continent.
On the issue of the African Unity, the RECs might have made slim progress in economic integration but it has become clear that after 48 years of beating about the bush, the prospects of achieving full economic unity by this process is dim. Rather, we have noticed a multiplication of regional economic groups that have only helped to reinforce and deepen the balkanization of the continent; to the great satisfaction of some western powers. It is not surprising how they poured their venom on Gaddafi, with a bending to use the “all means necessary” clause in the UN Resolution 1973; to put him out of the way. In the meantime, the AU has been long-speaking and hand-clapping in meetings and conferences like a moribund organization.
Politically, it is very clear why the AU is treated like an old but lame kid on the block. As long as the AU keeps depending shamefully on US-EU funding and UN technical assistance to carry out its peacekeeping operations on the continent, it would always be treated as an “underdog” organization. Some of our leaders are quick to call “911” (foreign donors) when it comes to starting or completing even the smallest of projects or program meanwhile they own swollen bank accounts in foreign banks and estates and properties worth millions or billions of dollars. How can we be so egoistic and self-centered at the detriment of our own selves and people? Why can’t we follow the example of Libya by investing our resources on the continent and uplifting our people? Africa is not poor, it is simply poorly managed. Whoever coined the term “Third world country” in reference to Africa was a genius. That appellation forms the very basis of a cruel mental slavery by which the continent has swung along for decades. The Western media has not done us justice either, but quickly exploited that stereotypical image to keep the continent stuck. According to what they showcase, poverty, conflicts, malaria, cholera and HIV AIDS constitute the family tree of the African man. Steve Biko once taught us that, “The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed”. Africa needs to do away with this mental prejudice that has lingered for so long and now projected itself in the physical realm. Dear, leaders, it is time you stop lining up with “begging bowls” before these western bodies and multinationals and join the young people in uplifting the image of the continent. Our generation has refused to be part of that “Poverty Conspiracy”.
In conclusion, I strongly believe the time has come for the AU to put an end to the act of political dictatorship practiced by the United Nations Security Council for close to 66 years. It is now obvious that the United Nations in its present political dispensation has become the machinery to give legality to illegal acts aimed at satisfying the shaded interests of a few super powers. Why are countries like France, Britain and the US fighting tyranny in Africa but practice dictatorship on the right to “Veto” within the UN Security Council? The condemnation of dictatorship should not be selective. Dictatorship should not be bad in some places and good in others. It is bad everywhere and should be condemned on all grounds. How come an entire continent of 53 states (soon 54 states when South Sudan joins) does not have a single right to veto decisions and actions that affect its people? Who then is the guarantor and protector of our own interests as Africans? Is it France, Britain, the US, China ….? This act of unfairness has cost the continent tremendously and contributed to our present backward position in the development and political indices of the world. The AU needs to be radical about this and demand that it be granted veto power by the end of the year 2011. It is time to start walking the talk. We cannot be fooled with occasional positions as president of the Security Council when the real power is in the power to veto. We cannot keep operating with ropes on our necks, ready to be strangled at every point on the road to progress. If veto power is good for the “Goose”, it automatically should be good for the “Gander”. Since the UN stands for equality of nation states, no nation should therefore be bigger or more important than another in the council of nations, because Europe, the US, Asia, Australia and Africa all need each other to collectively survive and overcome the different global vicissitudes of our time.
Yours Sincerely
Rene Mbuli
cc: Chairman of the African Union Commission
cc: Chairman of the African Union
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