Africa News Digest
African Leaders Respond to Iraq War
On the eve of the Iraq war, Presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, and Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, in coordination, each sent a letter to George W. Bush, Saddam Hussein, and Kofi Annan. They urged Annan to bring the matter of the war to the UN Security Council, as urgently as possible. They said Saddam must comply satisfactorily with UN Resolution 1441. Obasanjo wrote, "We in Africa are apprehensive that any war in Iraq will have monumental effect on African development. The destructive effect would be universal ... [it would] further the destabilization of the Middle East [and] shatter world peace."
Archbishop Desmond Tutu of Southern Africa called the war an "evil war" because "One of the conditions for a just war is that it be declared by a legitimate authority. The United States is not a legitimate authority."
African Union Secretary General Amara Essy said the launching of war has caused grief and deep regret among African Union members.
Also speaking out were Kenyan Foreign Minister Kalonzo Musyoka, urging a diplomatic solution; Somali President of Transitional Government Abdulkassim Salat Hassan; the government of Mauritius, which called it a "Tragic day for Iraq and the world"; Moroccan King Mohammed VI, who said Iraq's independence, territorial integrity, and regional security must be respected; the government of Tanzania; and Tunisian President Zine Al-abidine Ben Ali.
Strong Condemnation of Iraq War in Muslim Africa
Particularly in the Muslim nations of Africa, popular opposition to the Iraq war is prominently on display.
Police in Dakar, Senegal, used tear gas to disperse students demonstrating at the U.S. embassy. Students and lecturers also protested at the university, denouncing the "gangsterism" of the U.S. and its allies.
In Mauritania, "at least 20,000" people turned out to demonstrate in front of the U.S. embassy in Nouakchott, the capital. The March 24 protest was said to be the largest in living memory.
The Moroccan newspaper Aujourd'hui said that "Bush puts the whole world in danger." Maroc-Ouest compared George Bush to Osama bin Laden, Taliban leader Mullah Omar, and Saddam Hussein, saying they all use God to justify their wars.
In Tunisia, thousands attended peaceful rallies against the war.
Students in Khartoum, Sudan, held three days of protests, but clashed with police, resulting in one death.
In Kenya, the Daily Nation wrote, "Washington and London have been so intent on justifying an attack on Baghdad," that they have resorted to using evidence of Iraq having weapons of mass destruction "recycled from magazine reports."
In Ugandawhich, like Kenya, has a significant Muslim minoritythe government-run New Vision wrote on March 21, "The recklessness of the attack on Iraq may cause the existing world order to fragment. Iraq itself may break up into two or three ethnic units corresponding to the Ottoman provinces from which it was created."
Nigeria Will 'Resist Intimidation by Washington'
On March 21, Nigeria's Junior Foreign Minister Dubem Onyia summoned U.S. Ambassador Howard Jeter, and told him that Nigeria will "resist any intimidation by the U.S. over its stand on the Iraq question." Earlier the same day, Nigeria announced that the U.S.A. had suspended its military assistance, because of Nigeria's opposition to the war. The government statement said, "The decision [to cut aid] at this time when Washington has expressed its disappointment over Nigeria's position against the war in Iraq was sheer intimidation."
At a March 22 briefing, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher strongly denied that cutting Nigeria's aid had anything to do with "somebody's attitude towards Iraq." "It's a matter of longstanding U.S. policy," he said. The official reason given for the aid cut was the massacre of hundreds of civilians by the Army in Benue state in 2001. The aid is supposed to remain suspended until the massacre is investigated and the guilty are punished.
The U.S. restricted its embassy and closed its Lagos consulate and its international schools in Nigeria March 21, and Britain partly closed its missions. Similar measures have already been taken in South Africa and Kenya. The U.S. consulate in Cape Town is surrounded with razor wire.
Mbeki May Be Rethinking NEPAD in Light of Iraq War
South African President Thabo Mbeki told a meeting of church councils March 24 that the Iraq war and postwar reconstruction would push the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) further down on the world agenda, drawing off resources that could have gone to Africa. But, he added, "In another sense, it may be a good thing that others around the world put Africa on the backburner. We will have to rely on ourselves, our own resources and our own efforts." He was addressing a joint conference of the World Council of Churches, All Africa Conference of Churches and South African Council of Churches in Midrand near Johannesburg, where 23 African countries were represented.
In "SA Despondent Over Failed Peace Mission," in the Sunday Times (Johannesburg) March 23, Ranjeni Munusamy wrote, "Under Mbeki's direction, South Africa threw itself into an all-out mission to avert war. The failure of diplomacy has led to an air of despondency at the Union Buildings [government offices]. 'He was very passionate about the issue. Whenever he spoke about Iraq, you could hear it in his voice. It has taken a toll on him personally,' said an aide." Mbeki's statements since the launching of war have been very subdued.
Kenyan Muslims Warn Government Not To Provide Logistical Support to U.S./U.K.
"Top officials of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya, led by their chairman Sheikh Ali Shee and secretary Sheikh Mohammed Dor, said providing support to the war was a 'recipe for disaster,' " the Nation of Nairobi reported March 24. It continued, "Sheikh Shee advised the government to halt forthwith any negotiations that might involve Kenya in the war. He said anti-war feelings in the world were high at the moment, and any attempt to support the U.S. and British military actions would amount to endangering the lives of innocent Kenyans. Sheikh Dor warned that the Council of Imams may be forced to stage countrywide demonstrations if the government agreed to offer logistic support to the invasion of Iraq. 'We shall mobilize all Kenyans, regardless of religion, to demonstrate in the streets, because this grave danger does not know religion. Kenyans will be a soft target for terror attacks,' he warned."
Mombasa Catholic Archbishop John Njenga said, "The stand of the Church as given by Pope John Paul II is that this war is unjustified, and we stand by that."
The religious leaders were reacting to a story in the Sunday Nation March 23 that "64 top-level British and Kenyan military officials have held secret talks over Kenya's role in the war." The talks took place between March 13 and 18. A source told the newspaper, "The most Kenya could do would be in logistics like providing space for repair of equipment and vacation [for] fighters if it turns out to be a long drawn war."
Muslims demonstrated against the war peacefully in Mombasa March 21.
Le Monde: Coup in Central African Republic Backed by Chad To Protect Chad Oilfields
"Chad can be expected to support militarily the 'friendly regime' it has just installed in Bangui [capital of CAR] as a way of providing security for its oil fields close to the Central African border, which are to begin producing this summer," Le Monde wrote March 25.
In Bangui, Le Monde says, "it is the Chadian army that is keeping order. Ten days after his coup d'etat, General Francois Bozizé is installed in power in Bangui under the protection of Chad, Congo-Kinshasa and France, whose soldiers have returned, four years after having 'definitively' left the CAR and closed their military bases. All political parties, even that of deposed President Ange-Felix Patassé, in exile in Togo, are ready to collaborate with the new regime, which has promised a 'transition by consensus' to return to constitutional order."
An extraordinary summit of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) decided March 22, not only to keep its contingent of 300 peacekeepers in Bangui, but to improve their effectiveness by integrating them with the Chad military force, according to Le Monde.
EIR notes that France's return to Africa might somewhat queer the pitch of U.S. plans, drawn up by an offshoot of the Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies (Jerusalem and Washington), to grab African oil.
Opposition Leader in Zimbabwe Seeks Talks with Mugabe Government
South African President Thabo Mbeki, replying to questions in the National Assembly March 26, said, "The leader of the MDC is now saying 'please let us go back to these negotiations'I agree with that and we'll try to do our best to help them achieve that objective." Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)the opposition to President Robert Mugabewhen asked about Mbeki's statement, told The Star of Johannesburg, "It is a correct interpretation."
Until now, Tsvangirai has refused to resume talks with the government, saying they would have to wait until the MDC's court caseasking for the March 2002 election results to be declared invalidis heard in April. And over March 18-19, the MDC led a successful two-day general strike, followed by the submission of a set of demands to Mugabe. The MDC said it would lead another, broader strike if the demands were not met within two weeks. But now, without any (public) concessions by Mugabe, Tsvangirai is asking for talks, saying that the talks can begin, even though MDC is not withdrawing its court case.
The request for talks, however, is not a substitute for the ultimatums and deadline issued after the general strike, Tsvangirai made clear at a press conference March 26 reported in Harare's Daily News.
In answer to questions, Mbeki said he would be "quite happy" for South Africa to host the talks, according to The Star. Mbeki criticized Mugabe's violent crackdown in the wake of the general strike, saying South Africa could never "agree with actions that deny the right of Zimbabweans to protest peacefully, democratically."
In response to opposition MPs' demand for "smart sanctions" against Mugabe, Mbeki replied, "It's okay to say that if you are in Canberra or London... but here, across the border from Zim, there is no possibility whatsoever, that the South African government will impose smart sanctions." He also repeated his earlier criticism that land redistribution had to meet the needs of both black and white farmers.
Earlier, the South African government "cautiously welcomed" the mediation by Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Njongonkulu Ndungane. Ndungane is serving as a back-channel between Harare and London at Mugabe's request, with Pretoria kept informed of progress.
Ivorian President Makes Concessions to Opposition Party
President Gbagbo of Ivory Coast has made major concessions to the opposition RDR party of Alassana Ouattara, but the RDR-allied MPCI rebels are still not happy. Gbago has appointed Henriette Dagri Diabaté, who is number two in the RDR, to be Justice Minister and Fofana Zemogo, also RDR, to be provisional Security Minister. Gbago appointed a member of his own FPI party, Adou Assoa, as provisional Defense Minister.
Presumably, the reason for the provisional appointments, is that the recent Accra agreement calls for the defense and security portfolios to be assigned by the National Security Committee (CNS) that includes all tendencies, not just Gbagbo and Diarra. The MPCI rebels demanded March 26 that the Accra agreement be followed.
While leaders of the MPCI are ready to join the government, the MPCI base considers it almost a betrayal, Soir Info (Ivory Coast) reported March 21. Meanwhile, AFP on March 21 described three newspapers close to Gbagbo as "more virulent than ever" in their hostility to the rebels.
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