International Community Should Negotiate Gbagbo's Exit

A senior Research Fellow at the Legon Centre for International Affairs, Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, has indicated that the current Ivorian crisis could have been avoided if the international community had negotiated Mr Laurent Gbagbo’s exit from that country’s political scene before the elections.

'It was obvious that Gbagbo's involvement in that election would degenerate into crisis and ECOWAS, the AU and the other international bodies should have persuaded him to step aside for the sake of peace,' he said.

The Ivorian political hiccup turned bloody last Thursday, resulting in an estimated 18 deaths in Abidjan after supporters of Alasane Ouattara and Ivorian security forces clashed in a gun battle.

According to the Associated Press (AP), the bloodshed across Abidjan was part of a risky push by Outtaara, the widely recognised winner of the November 28 run-off, to take control of state institutions.

Dr Antwi-Danso, who spoke to the Daily Graphic on the fringes of the annual Du Bois-Padmore-Nkrumah memorial lectures in Accra, said Gbagbo’s stay in power over the years had polarised the country, adding that the election was a unique opportunity to consolidate the fragile peace in the country.

The Du Bois-Padmore-Nkrumah memorial lectures are used annually to espouse the ideals and principles of Pan-Africanism and also to honour the three illustrious Pan-Africanists who played leading roles in the struggle against colonial domination.

It is also to commemorate the death and celebrate the achievements of political activists across the African continent.

Dr Antwi-Danso, earlier in a presentation, noted that contrary to perceptions that Pan-Africanism had lost its relevance in the face of globalisation, it remained relevant if Africa was to rise beyond its current needs.

'Pan-Africanism is not static; it is a dynamic process which mandates us to think globally and act locally. It reflects in institutions like ECOWAS and the AU with their standing forces,' he added.

He observed that the challenge of Pan-Africanism today was that since 1958, it seemed fixated on state integration.

'Generally, Pan-Africanism is left without a basis of appeal to the ordinary African, whose interests are monumentally different from those of states and presidents,' he stated.

Dr Antwi-Danso noted that Pan-Africanism ideals were hitting the snag because African leaders had failed to incorporate the ideals of popular solidarity into the national plans, adding that 'sentimentalism cannot bring the ideals of Pan-Africanism into fruition.”

He said Africa was in its present state because the continent had a leadership deficiency, adding that 'we have leaders whose main preoccupation is to win the next elections at all cost.”

'This is the time for the emergence of visionary leaders; leaders whose world view and understanding of the African problems are profound; leaders who would craft the contours of Pan-Africanism on a global canvas that is already extremely challenging to the African cause.'

According to him, the growth of the continent would not solely depend on political organs and institutions but also through economic frontiers.