AU Presidents, Why Sit Silent?

African Union

-Shameless NATO destroys Africa's Libya
- Why not present ceasefire bid to UN?
For President Muammar Ghaddafi's Libya to be subjected to incessant air bombings from NATO air planes over a two months' stretch is something that continues to baffle the minds of all right thinking people.

Why, it must be asked, why this senseless war in Libya?  Why should planes of the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which consists of Americans and Europeans Soldiers) continue to rattle over Libyan skies, shooting cruise missiles and bombs to kill President Gaddafi's soldiers and to raze down some apartments of his house, instantly killing one of his sons and three grandchildren?  Why?

And one cannot simply understand why all African Union members, led by their heads of state, continue to look on silently for this mayhem to be visited on their member state Libya, by white people of other continents!

Doesn't Libya belong to the African Union which presupposes a more compact relationship bordering on consanguinity or blood-kinship such that an affront against one African member state is against all African states which should warrant their immediate response?  The days of the OAU (Organisation of African Unity) are over, a period when African States AGREED TO FRATERNISE quite lightly on periodic get-together basis, when talking and talking for closer relationship was the major leitmotif.

It was an organizational period preparing African states to, in future, form a more cohesive union in which each state saw herself to be in family ties with the others, not remaining indifferent to the woes of one another, but reacting appropriately to offer immediate help or relief or peace to the other.  This is how the present name, AFRICAN UNION must be seen to connote- a more compact sisterly affinity in which love for, and assistance to one another should be practicalised.

MEANING OF AFRICAN UNION
But this is not what we see now with the so-called AFRICAN UNION.  It appears most states consider the UNION to be mere UNITY which envisages a temporary relationship without any deep commitment for the welfare or safety of each other.  If this is so, then it's most unfortunate.

If indeed we have consigned ourselves to an AFRICA UNION construction which is very close to AFRICAN UNITED STATES, then African Presidents must wake up to uphold the ideals of the UNION and stop sleeping over the war being waged on Libya by NATO forces for no justifiable reasons.  The basis of the war is childish.  Some opposition elements in Libya say that they don't want Gaddafi and his government to continue to 'misrule' Libya, so they must resign and be off the governance scene.  They demonstrate.

And that's permissible in a democratic state.  But when the demonstration is: (a) being held every day to cause disturbance of the peace in the locality (b) waxing into violence when missiles (stones, cudgels, cutlasses etc) are hurled against the police who are using teargas to disperse the demonstrators, has the government no mandate or authority to defend itself or to put down the disturbing riots?  Will the British, American, Italian or French government sit down unconcerned when some elements (ostensibly trained or organized to cause violence to overthrow that Administration) begin to act to endanger the peace in that country?

Won't it defend itself by clamping down on such violence?  Then why is it that when President Gaddafi rose up to fight the criminal violence against his state, the Europeans and Americans considered it unheard-of, and immediately thought it as their bounden duty to go to Libya to protect the innocent civilians whom Gaddafi 'was killing through air attacks'?  Are the whites political and military 'protectors' of revolting blacks?  Who made them so?

FORMER USA, ITALIAN ATTACKS
Did the votes in the United Nations Security Council mandate the USA, Britain, Italy and France to quickly invade Libya to ostensibly protect the 'unarmed civilian revolters'?  When did it become justifiable for unapprehended and fighting revolters (openly seeking to overthrow a government) to be protected by the white men?  Where is the cited case history morally justifying such protection?

There is absolutely no justification for American, Italian and French forces to, in the name of NATO, send military aircraft to bomb buildings in Tripoli, Misurata, Benghazzi etc, and to indiscriminately kill Libyans, thus causing further bloodshed.  Why did the votes not mandate African countries to intervene diplomatically, and if possible, militarily?

Fact is that Libya has been a victim of these four nations- USA, Italy, Britain and France- for over two centuries, all because of their yearning to exploit her oil wealth, coal and gas.  In 1804, the United States invaded Libya, with the view to fighting an ongoing piracy, just it is as being carried on presently at the coast of Somalia in Africa.  This turned out to be a medium through which the wealth of Libya was to be exploited.

In 1911, Italy invaded Libya on the pretentious reason of fighting Turkey which had earlier on declared war on the Sanussi Muslim sect formed in Libya and had considered it to be unIslamic.

The Sanussi sect withstood Italy for 20 years until in 1931 when its leader al-Mukhtar was executed, and that enabled Italy to gain full control over Libya.  However, Idris who was also a Sanussi Muslim emerged later, and having helped the British and the French in World War II, invited these two allies to Libya who divided that nation into British and French zones.

Nevertheless, in 1949, the UN declared independence to Libya under Idris who later was sworn in as King.  Contrary to expectations, Gaddafi, then a colonel in the army, overthrew King Idris on September 1, 1969 and revolutionized the nation, bringing rapid transformation and development in the country on socialist lines.  Gaddafi's 'Green Book' he wrote which brought the 'popular participation' concept, quick revolution in agricultural and oil production, soon made Libya a nation with the highest per capita income of over $4000 per year in Africa, thus making her the wealthiest nation on the continent.

FOREIGN RELATIONS
Whilst at home, Gaddafi has been hailed as the most popular and best leader, who has made several workers rich and comfortable (this is confirmed by Ghanaians returnees from Libya), his relations with Arab countries and the Europeans and Americans have gone sour day by day.  His interactions with Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Saudi Arabi have not gone well; especially his opposition to Saudi Arabia and the Emirates for not helping him to resist 'the pressures and manouevres of transnational corporation' of the USA and Europe which are making oil prices go higher and higher, has not been taken kindly.

Therefore, one can see why the Arabs initiated in the UN the idea of 'military protection of Libyan civilians' which has invited NATO to wage air war against Gaddafi.  And one wonders whether Gaddafi will find it comfortable to remain in the Arab League again, whilst his military strength appears to have been betrayed and undercut by fellow Arabs.

Of course, the question of Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya etc indulging in ' absolute bilateralism' still remains an important issue to be mooted, a situation in which these aforementioned countries consider themselves as real Africans belonging to the AU and real Arabs belonging to the Arab League of the Middle East! Will Gaddafi want to be in the Arab Circle again, if the current war is over and he remains the President?

In 1986, Gaddafi was subjected to US economic embargo (January) and on April 14 the same year, American war planes invaded Libya and bombed Tripoli, the capital city, and Benghazzi, killing hundreds of people for nothing, except that Gaddafi was to be killed.  It is therefore not amazing that under the pretext of saving Libyan civilians, NATO war planes have bombed Gaddafi's premises, the second attempt killing his relations.  African Presidents should quickly meet over this, and issue a strong resolution backing Gaddafi, and calling for cessation of the ongoing war.

The resolution should be presented to the Security Council and the UN General Assembly.  And diplomatic discussions should be held with Russia and China to use their 'veto powers' to stop the war to enable African nations to bring peace to Libya.  African Presidents, rise up to save your own pal, Gaddafi, and your sisterly nation, Libya!  Rise up!

By Apostle Kwamena Ahinful