I may be overly optimistic or borderline naïve not to subscribe to the assertion that Africa will always be a continent stuffed with chaos of turmoil. Except for a fraction and a lucky few, every country in Africa has faced some political upheaval, unrests or coup d’etat one form or another since their independence from colonialism. Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone are just a few that sticks out, and now Congo. The East African country (formerly Zaire) is not one of the lucky few with an extended period of peace or tribal accord. What else is new?
Africa has a slightly complicated problem with tribalism entrenched and woven into the concept of political and economic sovereignty. I am not the one to suggest that Africans may not necessarily be ready for democracy (at least the western version), but it is hard to ignore the fact that the remnants of colonialism and totalitarian governments turned the progressive clock backwards on Africa (and that is my ethnocentrism on full blast). But the past is never an adequate excuse for a future crisis for any society, and certainly the Republic of Congo has had ample opportunities to fix their country’s divisions and political factions.
In the recent installment, government forces and rebel groups are engaged in a civil war, and a ceasefire is no where in sight. Hundreds of people have been killed so far, more than 250,000 people displaced, adding to roughly 800,000 estimated already driven from their homes. According to inside sources, there is a spillover from lingering tensions over the 1994 slaughter of ethnic Tutsis by majority Hutus in neighboring Rwanda. If this is indeed true, that gives the word ‘linger’ an entirely new meaning on the African continent.
The same reliable sources estimate about 17,000 U.N. troops in Congo, but with refugees oozing out of the country like a broken faucet, it is only a matter of time before the crisis take a different shape altogether.
For the sake of peaceful coexistence and the symbolism of harmony anywhere in Africa, I hope I am wrong.
7 comments:
Eric, sad to say this is just an extension of most of the sub-saharan problems - tribal boundaries long buried under the old colonial boundaries.
More concerned about the damages from the financial turmoil at the moment. We've only just scratched the surface with job losses and the shrinkage of various economies- enough on the plate already. Where is Congo? thats my point sir
To save Congo (from itself) will not be easy - the couple of thousand UN in the area represent a non-entity - if you put all 17,000 UN personnel in DRC in that region it still would not be enough. It will be easier to contain it than to extinguish it - perhaps that is the best possible outcome - for the suffering population I don't see a bright future
UN is NOT speaking loud enough to be heard. The choice now seems let things go the way they want.
Western Countries should STOP sending money, food and other supplies to a "FAILED Africa!
Africa as the MAP is drawn, is the last vestiage of a Failed Colonial Period.
Africa must be ALLOWED to fail so that a NEW AFRICA, created by Africans, can arise from the ashes.
There's a big difference between opposing what's going on there and doing something about it
Weapons and money are the curse. Don't sell weapons to the govt and the rebel. Catch the smugglers around the border.
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