Will Africa Implode?

Part II

Then we come down to the West of Africa. Ghana was the first black African nation to gain independence from British Colonial rule in March 6, 1957. The country has gone through several coup d’états like her powerful neighbor Nigeria. We have all heard of the civil war in Liberia which led to horrific consequences of genocide. Sierra Leone has also had its share of woes and a beautiful city like Freetown is a shadow of its past glory. How about Cote d’ Ivoire? Under the dictatorship of Boigny, the once Paris of Africa has also been reduced to its former shell.

I am just naming the bigger States and their current conditions. Out of all the countries I have named in West Africa, I can say that only Ghana has succeeded in handing over power peacefully a couple of times and is operating in a peaceful democratic atmosphere.
Togo would have dissolved into chaos had not the Africa Union and the United Nations stepped in to correct the perpetration of the late Eyadema’s dictatorship. At his death, he had the negative honor of being one of the longest dictatorships in Africa. His son was ‘selected’ to rule in his stead but thanks to the powers that be, this was resisted. Yes, Eyadema junior is in power today through a ‘rigged’ election as they say.

As at now in West Africa, Cameroon’s leader is fighting to become one of Africa’s dinosaurs as I call them; rulers who are refusing to allow others probably better than themselves to also use their intellect to help propel their countries out of poverty!
Omar Bongo of Gabon recently died and he had the singular honor of being the longest dictator in Africa if not the world! “Africa’s longest-entrenched autocrat” the CNN labeled him at his death in June 2009, this year. He ruled for 41 long years!
Listen to what it was reported of him and his leadership.

“Mr. Bongo, a disciple of the first generation of African leaders, came to power in 1967, when Lyndon B. Johnson was still president. He presided over an oil boom that fuelled an extravagant lifestyle for him and his family — dozens of luxurious properties in and around Paris, a $500 million presidential palace, fancy cars. But the tide of money did little to lift his country of 1.5 million people out of chronic poverty.” CNN

This my friend is the order of the day for many many African rulers. Sanni Abacha the late vicious dictator of Nigeria under whom thousands were assassinated or imprisoned was crowned “the Dictator of the month in July 2002” People database reported. He stole and amassed a record 3 billion dollars even surpassing the notorious master of the thieving leaders in Africa, Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire.
Almost all these leaders ruled with the proverbial “iron hand’ crushing any opposition that stood in the way of their bloody rampage! Stealing the hard earned wealth that could have catapulted Africa into a might and great continent.

When we come to the East, Kenya suffered a tainted democratically elected leadership when riots and mayhem broke out after the election into power of Mwai Kibaki, the current leader. Before him had been Arap Moi and Jomo Kenyatta the first president. The latter’s death revealed that he and his family owned almost every good thing in Kenya at the time of his death. What else is new? Kenya had been under one party rule under Kenyatta and Moi until 1992 when riots forced Moi to allow multi-party activities.

Let’s not forget Uganda. Who can forget the likes of Iddi Amin and Milton Obote? In their wake is Yoveri Musevini who took over power in 1986. He is currently ruling with some semblance of democracy termed ‘stolen’ since all his activities have been termed “sly” by others in order to perpetuate his solid hold on the country. The northern part has been brutalized by rebels known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Karamajong and sent millions into exile while internally displaced citizens in Uganda number more than any other country in the world.

Now we come to Zimbabwe on the West Southern coast of Africa. We all know it as the former Rhodesia where the late Ian Smith ruled with impunity against the rightful owners of the land. We all supported Mugabe and his freedom fighters to lead the fight against apartheid in Rhodesia. Mugabe even lived in my country Ghana and married a Ghanaian wife Sally, may God rest her gentle soul. I was in primary school during the violence that clouded the skies of Rhodesia and I never ever imagined that that country would come out from under apartheid rule but God is a righteous judge and allowed it to happen. You can imagine the joy and euphoria that spread not only through out the whole of Africa but around the world as well. Little did anyone ever imagine that that joy and hope would turn into dust and ashes in our mouths.

I will end here and continue with Zimbabwe and its current status.
Cheers!

Will Africa Implode?

Introduction:

I started wrinting the article below in 2009, so many of the events have changed but I want to produce it as it was just to allow you the reader to experience some of the events that have led Africa to the state that it is in now.
Bear with me and read it as I wrote it. Some of the events especially in Darfur and Egypt have changed. Mubarak is no longer the Head of State for Egypt since we all saw the revolution that took place to overthrow his government.
Darfur has also gained independence on July 9 2011 this year even though there is still speculation whether Omar al Bashir, the President of Sudan, who congratulated Southern Sudan will allow the 'baby' nation to survive. Why this scepticim? This is because on becoming independent, Sudan lost about one third of its territory and about three quarters of its oil reserves. Do you think al-Bashir will leave them alone? Let us see what happens. As for me, I am sceptical but I keep praying that my brothers and sisters in the South will find peace at last.
So here goes, enjoy the discuss and let me have your comments.


WILL AFRICA IMPLODE?
December 8th, 2009

Preamble:

As I write now from my home on the Plains of Mid-West in the United States, my heart is breaking for my continent Africa. News coming from Africa somehow is always different from news about Africa which Western nations report.
Yes, Western nations report about Africa, the conflicts, the corruption and the commotion. What they fail to report is the major reasons why Africa is what it is today.

As I write now, the genocide in Darfur is still raging since it first started in 2003 after rebel groups from the Western part began attacking government targets accusing them of discrimination in favour of Arabs.

Chad is accusing the government of Sudan of backing Arab rebels against their villages and Sudan is counter accusing Chad of supporting rebels attacking the Sudanese government using Chad as their launching pad. The Central African Republic (CAR) is also accusing the Sudanese government of supporting CAR rebels who have taken over some villages inside the country.

If one looks closely, it is a fact that the conflict in Darfur has spilled over its borders into Chad and CAR. Who is to blame? That is the million dollar question resonant of the question of whether the egg came before the chicken or vice versa.

On the horn of Africa in the East is the conflict in Somalia that began after the corrupt government of Siad Barre was overthrown in a coup in 1991. Since then, “the country has been in a state of near-anarchy, with no effective national government, rival warlords and clans disputing control, and regions declaring their independence or autonomy.” BBC.
Major-General Muhammed Siad Barre had overthrown the government of Shermarke in October 1969 and assassinated him in the process. He suspended the country’s constitution and declared Somalia as a socialist dictatorship which eventually led to his own downfall. In 1992, he fled the country with his family into exile in Kenya leaving the country in shambles and tatters.
Since then the United Nations and other nations have failed in their attempts to help stabilize the country.
Today, Somali is embroiled in Islamic conflicts and piracy. The majority of the people are starving and the most affected are women and children and the elderly who always face the greatest brunt of any conflict anywhere in the world
Egypt has its own share of violence and as I write today, Egypt has become a “police state where torture has become systematic” reports AFP. Since the assassination of Anwar Sadat, Egypt is reportedly being operating under a state of emergence which has become the norm despite protests by human rights groups.

"Everyone who falls in the grasp of the police, particularly the poor, is in imminent danger of torture and bodily harm inflicted through various means, including beatings, kicks, floggings, burning with cigarettes, sexual harm... electroshocks to the feet, head, sexual organs and breasts, and hanging from iron bars or the door of the cell," the report continued.
As I see it, this state of events has ripened the potential of Egypt to descend into chaos after Mubarak leaves office. Will Egypt also become the next Somalia?

Ethiopia cannot be left out with the current government’s systematic ‘stealing” of votes during elections. One of my own colleagues and ActionAid’s partner when I worked for ActionAid were thrown into prison with over 100 others for treason just because they were standing in for the majority voiceless Ethiopians who had become impotent to speak up against their government’s corruption.

We will continue with events in West Africa, beginning from my country Ghana next time.

Peace!!!