Coast
These could be famous last words of an idealist :
In my view, the pressure that comes from threatening military action
should be taken off the cards as a solution to the post-election
impasse in the Ivory Coast. There is nothing like the threat of
invasion to unite a people who are already united behind their several
leaders. It's better to diffuse the tension by not increasing it
steadily with all the strident talk and the pounding of those war
drums to whip up the frenzy and fear, but by trying to bring some
peace & calm, if not peace & love. Diffusing the tension will help
create the necessary conditions in which negotiations can take place.
All who believe in/ prefer the ballot to the bullet know that even
after a North - South civil war, people will have to live together in
some sort of harmony, not just be ruled by the force of the conqueror.
Sure, after war there is usually peace (like in the Middle East) but
by increasing the tension, the tension might inevitably reach a
boiling point that was not planned and this boiling point can spill
over - uncontrollably - into a conflagration that could engulf the
region for some years to come, resulting in humanitarian disasters,
not just millions of refugees into neighbouring countries and beyond,
more deaths, destruction of infrastructure and more economic hardship
for all, in these uncertain times.
It's not just a matter of modesty or the not so omniscient doctors of
super knowledge who say, "They were not listening to us" "We told
them" "We were telling them." - "I am right, "– "See how excited I
am, my prophecies are true and the ominous things I predicted are now
coming to pass" or insults such as, "When the first contingent of
invasion troops land, most of them will be running to hide under their
mothers' beds".etc.
As far as I can see and I've spoken with more neutral people who know
the Ivory Coast very well, first and foremost the allegations of
election fraud in the North and some of the same in the South, should
be investigated – after which Justice could be done and seen to be
done and certainly not by military means or by cheer-leading the
strong against the weak. (We also know that such a principle cannot be
applied by the weak/ weaker against the strong, even in Africa: our
eminent senior citizen Wole Soyinka stopped over in Stockholm (it was
not a private event & I was upfront to exchange quite a few words with
him during his public lecture when he was on his world tour campaign
mission against Nigeria's military dictator Sani Abacha. Of course
there have been others, other dictators – but at no time was any
military option tabled (who by? Weak military entities like Sierra
Leone, Liberia and the Gambia wanting to send their barefoot military
contingents armed to the teeth with bows and arrows and machetes
( metaphorically speaking) to unseat Abacha? General Bashir of the
Sudan? Hosni Mubarak?
Idi Amin was unseated through an invasion orchestrated by Great
Britain (former colonial boss) and Sweden ( partner and ardent
supporter of Mwalimu Dr. Julius Kambarage Nyerere's Social programme
Ujamaa during the era of partnership - the Swedish - Tanzania
partnership in what some call the good old days of Olof Palme & Social
Democracy ina Sweden. Field-Marshal Amin's Uganda was invaded through
Tanzania. I know a number of Swedes (various levels) who still say
that they left their heart in Tanzania.) In those days, after the
great nation state – the monarchy of Ethiopia, Tanzania was Sweden's
favourite independent country in Africa. I have Swedish friends who
were born in Ethiopia, of missionary parents.)
Sweden has had a very long standing relationship with Ethiopia, which
predates the good relationship between the present King of Sweden's
grandfather and the late Haile Sellassie, Emperor of Ethiopia; the
story of this relationship is recorded in his autobiography in two
parts, translated by Edward Ullendorff. Incidentally it was basic
reading for members of the organisation that Bob Marley belonged to,
"The Twelve Tribes of Israel"
Now, (layman still talking) I would say that the centre of gravity of
those who would like to resurrect the Old Mali Empire, is in Bamako
and that they can be counted upon along with Burkina Faso and Guinea -
three former French colonies, still part of the French/ Francophone
sphere of influence - three core states that would like to resurrect
the Old Mali Empire and perhaps would like to do battle/ Jihad to
ensure that their man Ouattara is seated. I notice a greater
resistance to the idea, among the ex-British colonies and so we have
Uganda's Museveni taking this pragmatic and very rational approach of
"President Museveni has described as "simplistic" the UN's recognition
of Alassane Outtara as winner of Ivory Coast's disputed presidential
ballot and instead called for an independent investigation."
: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1095238/-/cipjrlz/-/
(That Ghana could ever contemplate joining an ECOMORG forces to invade
Nigeria, is UNTHINKABLE – no matter whatever post-election situation
could be obtaining there - not even if pressure was brought to bear on
that Black Star Nation by some Super Power Obroni nation or nations. I
would say that Cameroon and Benin would also be unlikely to join a
force that would be hell-bent on invading Nigeria – or to support such
a force. Since they know that after such a war, they would still be
neighbours, something that you can't change no matter who is president
of either nation. Enemies (not friends declare war on each other. In
today's Africa, it's not only borders that define the emotional &
cultural bonds that bond brothers or nations.
It's also said that a democracy does not wage war on another democracy
….interesting…..
More on this: South Africa is taking the same stand as Uganda and
request that the claims of e massive election fraud be looked into:
A cursory look at the Ivory Coast's demography could confirm that
there are more Muslims than Christians in the country, and that
"animists" Juju Priests and traditional African religionist in
between, Outtara's mainly Muslim North (depending on how you define
the North) is more populous than the Gbagbo's more Christian South -
and that ethnicity & religion are factors that help even Ivorian
nationalists determine how to cast their ballots….
This religion factor could also be inherent in the thoughts of JIHAD
which is endemic in both some of the folks in the Ivory Coast and some
of the people outside of the Ivory Coast, such as the Mandinka
warriors who on purely religious and ethnic grounds have every reason
to sympathise with their brother Outtara. (One of my neighbours
Idrissa is Jola like Outtara)
Some of my best friends are Mandinka and Jola. I could think of voting
for some of them in an election in the Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina
Faso, just as I could think of voting for my Wolof Brothers and
sisters, if I were a citizen of their country and in saying this I
remain both peaceful and unbiased.
--
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