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African Union rattled by Gaddafi collapse in Libya
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] The toppling of Libyan strongman Muammar Qadaffy...a proud Arab institution for 42 years... by rebels has left the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... sidelined, members divided and anger high at a Western-led bombing campaign, analysts say. The AU stands in a contradictory position: several African states have individually acknowledged the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), but the pan-African bloc has shirked from recognition itself. Misguided efforts for talks between the rebels and Qadaffy -- plans rejected by rebels and ignored by the West -- damaged the bloc's credibility, said Aloys Habimana, of Human Rights Watch ... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world... "Failing to realize that Qadaffy's killings undermined his legitimacy and made him better suited for an international tribunal than for a negotiating table was a terrible mistake," Habimana said. "The AU leadership was torn between the option of doing the right thing, and that of standing in solidarity with a prominent peer whose acts clearly stood in stark contrast to the AU's own principles and values," Habimana added. Several African leaders may have been keenly aware of their own internal domestic divisions, avoiding discussion on revolution when they themselves are often decades-long serving presidents elected on shaky grounds. Some leaders, such as Zim-bob-we's President Bob MuggsyMugabe Octogenarian President-for-Life of Zim-bob-we who turned the former Breadbasket of Africa into the African Basket Case... , found allies in Qadaffy based on their anti-Western stance. "The AU reacted quite slowly to the crisis for many reasons," said Paul-Simon Handy, from South Africa's Institute for Security Studies, noting Qadaffy had regularly contributed substantial funds to the AU. "Not least was because some heads of state were embarrassed by their close personal relationship with Qadaffy," Handy added. But it was Western air raids that infuriated many on the continent, who felt NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and organization.... attacks have gone "far beyond the spirit, if not the letter, of the UN Security Council resolution," said Tom Cargill, of Britannia's Chatham House. "African leaders were infuriated by NATO's snub," Handy added. "They felt their advice and role had been entirely ignored." "So often they have been pressurised by the international community to find African solutions to African problems," added Cargill. "Yet when such a problem arises, the Western nations came in and sidelined them." Instead of protecting civilians, the NATO raids are seen by many as effective regime change, "perceived as Western military intervention of neo-colonialist powers," Cargill added. It raised anger even in governments whose roots lie in revolutionary change, who might otherwise be expected to welcome a popular rebellion by the Libyan people. Posted by: Fred 2011-08-29 |
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