THE BURKINABE REVOLUTION: EXPOSING AN INEFFECTUAL AFRICAN UNION

When thousands of Burkinabes stormed the streets of Ouagadougou in a massive protest which saw the Country’s Parliament building go up in flames and ultimately terminating the twenty seven year Presidency of Blaise Campaore in the fall October 2014, the World and indeed Sub-Saharan Africa was thrown aghast with thoughts of another impending revolution.

Burkinabes protesting in October 2014 against the quest of Blaise Campore to seek an additional term in office
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29948773

For not too long ago, the Arab Spring which emanated from North Africa reverberated the entire Arab Middle East and ensured the downfall of three of Africa’s longest serving leaders in Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi (42yrs), Tunisia’s Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali (24yrs) and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak (30yrs); with the downfall of another of Africa’s longest serving Ruler in Burkina Faso, there were fears that this could trigger an ‘Africa Hamarttan’ across Sub-Saharan Africa.

In an apparent bid to stabilize the Burkinabe situation, the Presidents of Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana under the aegis of ECOWAS and The African Union flew in to Ouagadougou to meet with the Military who had already filled the power vacuum, urging them to form a transitional government and hand over power to a Civilian head within two weeks or face sanctions. In a riposte to this demand, the Burkinabe Military leader Lt Col Isaac Zida blurted that;

"We are not afraid of sanctions; we care much more about stability,"

"We have waited on the African Union in moments when it should have shown its fraternity and its friendship but instead was not there,"

"It's unfortunate but it's not too late."

Burkina Faso's new Military Ruler Lt Col Isaac Zida welcoming Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to Ouagadougou for an AU/ECOWAS initiated transition talk
Source: http://encomium.ng/president-goodluck-jonathan-arrives-ouagadougou-bukina-faso-to-help-facilitate-the-rapid-resolution-of-the-current-political-crisis-in-bukina-faso-on-wednesday/

The African Union and its constituent regional bodies have always taken an ominous stand when confronted issues of Military Coup d’états in African Countries, and seemly take a sanctimonious stand in threatening and imposing sanctions. However, it must be noted that the Africa Union was powerless during the Arab spring and could not save its founder and self proclaimed King of kings of Africa--- Muammar Gaddafi.

Originally founded from the fusion of regional blocs and Pan-Africanist ideas of founding fathers in Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, Senegal’s Leopold Senghor, Nigeria’s Nnamdi Azikwe, Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta, Ethiopia’s Haile Sellasie, and Zambia’s Kenneth Kaunda the Organization of African Unity (OAU) sought to liberate the Africa from colonial rule. After an initial successful manifesto, the OAU lost steam and relevance as the founding fathers where all embroiled in instituting one party states and stifling opposition groups in their domains. Governance in independent Africa was served at mediocre level and not the excuse of leadership naivety could sustain the seeming tyrannical rule of the Pan- African fathers in their respective countries.

One by one, they were all butted out of power by the barrel of the gun amid ensuing economic and social chaos which subjected most African countries to Military dictatorships and internecine civil wars starting from the late 1960’s. In all these, the OAU maintained a figurative ceremonial existence even as its regional power houses had no moral right to set sanctimonious standards-- Ethiopia was under the a Military dictatorship of the ‘Derg’ and grappling with a civil war, Nigeria was under Military dictatorship and under sanctions from  Euro-American supranational Organizations, and other countries not under military rule were apparently under civilian styled tyrannical one party states; Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, Zambia, Malawi being perfect examples.

On the advent of the new Millennium in the 21^st Century, the OAU rebranded into the African Union (AU) following after the European model of the EU (European Union); among all its quest was that of good governance and this was instituted by the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) and NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa’s Development). This assured that with the institution of multi party democracy in most Countries in Sub-Saharan  Africa, an improved development partnership with other global supranational organizations will ensue. Buoyed by the tact willingness of South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki, Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo, Senegal’s Abdoulaye Wade, Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and Algeria’s AbdulAzeez Bouteflika, the AU set sail on these notion and promises.

However, this noble quest was called to question by unrest in Cote d’ Ivoire, Military take overs in Mali and Guniea. Whilst all these were resolved, there has still been an underlying inquest of the dedication to the sanctimonious demands of the AU in constituent Countries as some long serving African rulers seek to consolidate their grip on power as seen in Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe (now serving 34yrs), Angola’s Jose Eduardo Dos Santos (now serving 35yrs), Equatorial Guniea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema (now serving 35yrs), Cameroun’s Paul Biya (now serving 32yrs), and Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni (now serving 28yrs).

Regardless of the length of years in power, what is most important in leadership is the administration of fairness, equity, justice and good governance with concomitant development. After all, there are nations that do not have presidential/Prime Ministerial term limits like the United kingdom, Canada, Italy, Australia etc, but their citizens do have attendant freedom to decide their leaders.

Aside the question of length of stay in power, African regimes are still bothered with the question of administering development and good governance. This is the major cause for civil agitation Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea etc and as such, rulers of these nations do not have a sanctimonious say on how other African countries should be governed.

From the experience of the Arab spring in Libya, revolutions do not come cheap and democratic governance might not ensure ‘unabated freedom’ as seen in Egypt aside the Tunisian exception which is a rare occurrence. As another of Africa’s long serving regime falls in Burkina Faso, it is insinuated that a political quake might be in the offing for other long serving regimes in Sub-Saharan Africa.

As usual, the AU, SADC, IGAD and ECOWAS will always come to the fray whenever such political fallouts occur, but as usual, their overtures might just be ignored until individual countries do the needful—administer leadership through justice, equity, fairness with concomitant good governance and development else it will be a proverbial kettle calling pot black.

‘And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? ⁴ Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? ⁵ Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye’.

Matt 7:3-5 (KJV)

THE INTRICASIES OF A MALIAN ‘AZAWADSTAN’ ; A RALLYING CALL FOR IMMEDIATE INTERVENTION

"Everyone knew this situation was coming; everyone knew that AQIM was present in the region; everyone knew that the Tuareg rebellion from 2008 in Mali had not been decapitated. And yet the Malians did not act."....... Bazoum Mohammed, Niger's foreign minister.        

The situation in Northern Mali, where a rebellion by Tuaregs and Islamic Militants declared a ‘liberated Azawad’ in the North of Mali and then pushed to the government-controlled South, has alarmed the international community, particularly France. From the dust raised in the recent clash between the Malian Military and extremist Islamic Militant groups, top of which is the ‘Ansar Dine and Mujao’, both are thought to be part of an extensive network of Al-Queda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)- though having different ideologies as against the Tuareg rebels of Northern Mali,  the rebellious forces united for a cause---‘shaking off Northern Mali or Azawad from Malian control’.

The vast arid North of Mali (an area the size of France) is covered by the Sahara and is populated by the Tuaregs (a nomadic people who live in Mali, Algeria, Libya, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger). Seen as light-skinned (though they are called the ‘blue people’), they’ve complained of marginalization in their respective countries of residence. As such, the Tuaregs have fought several rebellious wars against the government of Niger, Algeria and Mali.

Despite the separatist intrigues of the Tuaregs in the Sahara, their rebellions have been quelled by force and negotiations over the years by the respective governments they rebelled against. However, a statement made by the foreign minister of Niger at the recent Bamako summit in October 2012 hosted to resolve the Malian crises shows that all is not well with Mali, especially the city that hosts the tomb of 333 saints (Timbuktu)! Even her neighbours are alarmed by this dawning, gruelling fact.

The rebel-held Azawad or Northern Mali is already at a phase of derelict lawlessness, and there are fears that it may become Africa’s Afghanistan or Pakistan’s Swat valley…hence the name ‘Azawadstan’!

Among the issues calling for action in Northern Mali are:

      The clash between Tuareg separatist rebels  (MNLA) and Islamist militants. Though having variant ideologies, these groups united to kick out the Malian army from Azawad.

      The destruction of ‘mausoleums’ and tombs of Islamic scholars in Timbuktu—is regarded as a world heritage site by the UN.

      The unhindered operation of Islamic militant groups, especially (Al Queda in the Islamic Maghreb) who are turning Northern Mali into a base or training facility for launching attacks in neighbouring states.

      Most concerned is the Nigerien government, which fears that the Malian instability might just precipitate in their country and serve as a distillery for instability in the West African Subregion.

      The recent capture of Diabaly and the attack on Konna by the Islamist militants thus putting Bamako (the Malian capital) and the remaining government-controlled areas at risk of being united under one ‘Azawadstan.’

Intriguingly, the Malian crises do have some foreign undertones. It is believed to be heightened by the influx of Tuareg fighters from Libya who fought on the side of the defeated Gaddafi loyalist forces during the 2011 Libyan revolution. Surely, the Libyan conflict did not end cheaply. The proliferation of weapons during the conflict must have added to the lethal force of the Tuareg and Islamic separatist forces.

With hard lessons still being learnt from the Pakistani and Afghanistan situation, there’s a concern that the Malian case will not fall in that line.

There have been calls for an Ecowas military intervention force to liberate Northern Mali as any attempt to allow for an ‘Azawadstan’ may spark Tuareg separatist conflicts in other neighbouring countries and most the most chilling terrorist attacks in the West African subregion and even Europe!. Bearing in mind that Al-Queda-linked groups hold sway in the territory, there’s an onus to restore sanity to the rebellious territory.

The Malian North, which is a vast expanse of Sahara, may not be familiar territory for any Ecowas intervention force. Moreover, there will be a need for logistical air support from Western powers—a cause that France is spearheading. With the Islamist militants now pushing towards Bamako, the French President has acceded to demands by the Malian Prime minister for help in the face of the ignominious defeat suffered by the Malian army in the hands of the rebels. The swift response of the French has thus encouraged a mobilization of West African forces to counter the activities of the Malian Islamists.

With the international scene wary of foreign intervention in crises-ridden countries, whilst contention cannot be agreed on Syria, the world cannot afford to watch a helpless and hapless Malian regime turn into Azawadstan!