Winds of Change.NET: AfricaPundit's Regional Briefing: 2003-09-12

September 12, 2003

AfricaPundit's Regional Briefing: 2003-09-12

by Joe Katzman at September 12, 2003 4:36 AM

Winds of Change.NET Regional Briefings run on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, and sometimes Fridays too. This Regional Briefing focuses on Africa, courtesy of AfricaPundit.

TOP TOPICS

JK: A Cry from Zimbabwe.

An interesting article from the Globe and Mail notes that the African continent - from Djibouti to Mauritania - is central to the war on terror.

Other Topics Today Include: Ugandan front; Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi; French quagmire in Ivory Coast; Djibouti expelling 100,000 illegals; Rwanda & Zimbabwe hold elections; Zimbabwe reports; Real progress in African game conservation; Can Nigeria even peace-keep itself?; Liberian 'peace agreement'; Colonialism & trusteeship; WTO trade talks.

In fact, it looks like another African front may be opening: Uganda is now asking for US military aid in its fight against the LRA rebels.

Gaddafi: Still Africa's terror master. Mostly Africa looks back on 34 years in power for Libya's Qaddafi (or however you spell it).

A recent assasination plot in Ivory Coast has rocked the fragile peace. The French are clearly in a quagmire.

JK: Djibouti is in the process of expelling almost 100,000 illegal immigrants. Djiboutian officials say the immigrants, who are mostly from neighboring Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, are being expelled because they pose a security threat and are a drain on Djibouti's struggling economy. True. It's also worthy of note that the new U.S. base in Djibouti has been the centerpriece of its East African operations. There's been a fair bit of (quiet, underreported and they like it that way) Special Forces and CIA activity in that part of the world for many months now.

Two major elections took place this month. In Rwanda, Paul Kagame was returned to the presidency under somewhat suspect circumstances in the first post-genocide presidential election. In Zimbabwe, the opposition MDC performed rather well in municipal elections...but despite violence, and Mugabe remains.

Head Heeb explains the political splits in Mugabe's party that could be pushing Zimbabwe toward massive anarchy and complete collapse shortly after 2005.

JK: At least the USA is providing a clear voice on Zimbabwe. Didn't think the U.S. Department of State had it in 'em.

JK: Here's a piece of real good news: animal conservation is taking significant strides in Africa, with the creation of huge transfrontier game parks that will eliminate border fences. This will help the animals...but unless patrols are agressive within those national boundaries, it will help transfrontier poachers too.

Nigerian peacekeepers continue operations to subdue Liberia, but Abiola wonders if Nigeria can even peace-keep itself (and he's Nigerian, so I guess he knows what he's talking about). Head Heeb isn't optimistic, either.

Meanwhile, a Liberian peace agreement has been signed. Under the agreement, Gyude Bryant, a Monrovian businessman, will assume the Liberian presidency in October. As with most African "peace" plans, we'll believe it when we see it.

JK: Back on June 11, I wrote "Moral Imperialism and the Empire for Liberty," detailing the Saudi Wahhabi sect's history as slavers and pirates, and its relationship to the course of Britain's 19th century "moral imperialism" in the region. At the time, Abiola suggested the revival of the term "trusteeship" as a substitute for colonialism in these situations. As it happens, a New York Times article suggesting trusteeship for Liberia recently came to our attention. Abiola - take a bow.

School choice initiatives don't appear to be making much progress in the USA, but the NY Times suggests that education in Africa is an increasingly popular option.

This week's WTO summit in Cancun is a high-stakes game for African nations - most with agriculture-based economies - that are attempting to integrate into the world market. Full report next time.The next installment of AfricaPundit's Africa Briefing will be October 8th. Meanwhile, regular updates concerning African events can be found at AfricaPundit.

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Comments

#1 from rrgg at 3:05 pm on Sep 12, 2003

>JK: Djibouti is in the process of
>expelling almost 100,000 illegal immigrants.

The key word here is "illegal," yet many would have you believe it's Djibouti that is doing something wrong.

>There's been a fair bit of (quiet,
>underreported and they like it that way)
>Special Forces and CIA activity in
>that part of the world for many months now.

I'd hardly call a Sixty Minutes feature quiet underreporting :)