The key to a successful African Union

Accra Daily Mail

July 4, 2007

A Ghanaian guard stands near the flags of African nations on the second day of the African Union summit in Accra July 2, 2007. REUTERS/Luc Gnago (GHANA)

There is perhaps no continent or no people that need unity than Africa and Africans. It is true that much of our plight in Africa is a result of the colonial legacy. But much of Africa’s problems can only be explained by the abject failures of its children, particularly its rulers.

There is no place in Africa, than in Ethiopia that colonialism has left its least foot prints. Perhaps a closer look at Ethiopia can give us a glimpse of what we don’t need to perennially complain on the colonial past. Even by standards of most of Sub-Sahara Africa, Ethiopia remains to be the poorest country cyclically ravaged by multimillion killer famine and diseases. There is no reason for this to happen.

Ethiopia is a country endowed with natural beauty and an enormous amount of natural wealth, including the fact that it is the water tower of Eastern Africa. Its ecological diversity and the fact that it is the original home of the world’s cultivated crops makes it ideal for, at least, a self sufficient country. Ethiopia’s failure is clearly because of bad and deficient governance and policy. We are sure the same can be said of many African countries. But Ethiopia’s case illustrates how cycles of dictatorships and the absence of basic human freedoms become a cause for misery.

Today for example, Ethiopia is under a dictatorship that lives by pitting one ethnic group against the other and unleashing wholesale repression against its people who peacefully demand change. In these situations we have a regime that is worried more for its survival in power than the welfare of its people.

The first multi party election in Ethiopia in a generation has been marred by the violence of the government against the people – an outright punishment for rejecting it. In June and November of 2005, journalists estimated that the government rounded up about 40 thousand residents of Addis Ababa and put them in harsh concentration camps before a worldwide uproar led to their release. By its own admission the government of Meles Zenawi has brutally murdered 193 and severely wounded over 800 peaceful protesters.

During the protests following the fraudulent elections, the government diverted virtually every resource of the country including the armed forces towards keeping the regime in power. About 111 members and Elected leaders of the Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (CUDP) independent press journalists, and human rights defenders were imprisoned and charged with treason, genocide and other crimes the government felt could be added.

Sadly, the least of the protests to this gross human rights abuse of the Ethiopian regime came from Africa. Neither the African Union nor any Head of State of Africa have expressed dismay against such blatant violation of rights of 77 million people. The only voices of international protests made against the Ethiopian regime came from European and American Parliamentarians and international human rights organizations located in European and American cities. Africa is doing little for itself and this is a real shame.

This continent should first think of having a common voice first before thinking of any unity. Any lasting unity should be based on people centred problem solving unity. Africans need empowerment more than anything else because if we are free and empowered we can address our problems intelligently and creatively including using mechanisms from our traditions.

Ethiopian forefathers who defeated European colonialism at the battle of Adwa did so because they were let to organize themselves the way they see fit. Africa can solve its problems when our peoples are first relived of the tyranny unleashed on them. Africa’s intellectuals both at home and in Diaspora need to join hands and fight for freedom, respect for human rights and the rule of law and the dignity of our people before contemplating a united Africa at any level.

Free Political Prisoners in Ethiopia!

Coalition for Unity and Democracy Party (Kinijit)
Kinijit Ethiopia

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Source: Accra Daily Mail