Before the discovery of cryptotora thamicola––the fish with ability to climb––nobody’d believe that there’s a fish that’d climb anything. Now that this is a reality that strikes the right chord. We can apply the same rationale to devise how Africa can get rid of itself of terrorism that’s now growing exponentially shall it remain unfettered. Africa’s like an elephant that can’t build a house despite having potentials of clear-felling many trees. To the contrary, despite its feebleness, the bird’s able to build a very comfy effervesce to lay its eggs and rest in after daily chores.
Essentially, lingering terrorism in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria and Somalia––not to mention the new one in Mozambique recently––is one of the results of the division and partition of African countries whose roots can be traced on the Berlin Conference 1884 that created modern time feeble and fickle African states. However, hypothetically, there’s a formula of how Africa can get rid of and rid itself of terrorism and other violent conflicts gyrating around the struggle for power and resources in order to supply the world free market as it was envisaged and invented by capitalistic and imperialistic nations of the world. If anything, this formula––if well utilised––is likely to free Africa from the grips of this contemporary calamity that’s lead to socio-economic miseries for the majority of Africans. The formula’s very applicably simple. Suppose. Every African country contributes 500 GIs each; and maintains them––as it normally does––to fight terrorism wherever it strikes in Africa. This legation can also be used to vanquish coups like the one that recently sequestered power in Mali. Counting the number of African states, we’re talking of over 25,000 strong. Can’t such a number eradicate terrorism in Africa within a foreseeable time really if it is actualised and applied? Again, what is the problem? Methinks. The answer’s that every Africa sees terrorism in certain countries as a national but not international or African problem. I don’t know if al-Shabaab (Somalia), Ansar al-Sunna (Mozambique), Boko Haram (Nigeria) the GSPC (Groupe Salafiste pour la Prédication et le Combat), and the (AQMI, Al-Qaida au Maghreb Islamique) (Sahara) among others have the muscles to outshine such an ensemble. Its sheer size’s itself a weapon to reckon with for its adversaries. So, you can see how the division and partition of Africa by western colonisers is now contributing hugely to terrorism. We used to myopically look at colonialism as a historical fact. However, recently, after Africa’s colonial legacy of division and feebleness has proved to more a colonial past. Instead, it’s a present and future threat to Africa. Colonialism adversely affects Africa in many ways. Currently, it is helping terrorism to take root in Africa. As well, thanks to colonialism and its machinations, former colonial powers are now occupying Africa military under the ruse of pursuing terrorists. For the west, someone or a group becomes a terrorist whenever one attacks its interests. But when one gives the west the pretext to occupy others, such a person or a group will be condemned on the daylight and applauded in the dark. That’s why the US is currently negotiating with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Remember. When the US was fighting the then USSR in Afghanistan, it established and armed the Taliban whom it turned against after it embraced Osama bin Laden who also was cloned by the US.
That said, for those who wrongly think that the west will help them to stamp terrorism out of their jurisdictions are in a reverie for their peril. Capitalism doesn’t have a permanent enemy but instead has permanent interests. This is the slogan the US uses whenever it wants to turn against its ally. That’s is why–––if its interests are guaranteed and safeguarded–––the west will turn its foe into an ally and vice versa as it has proved in many instances. Former Libyan and Iraq strongmen, Muamar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein respectively knew this too well. Saddam’s cloned by the west to end up being killed by the same. He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword. An African proverb has it that he who created the pate is the one who obliterates it. Similarly, he who created African states is the one who will destroy them.
Considering the formula so proposed here, Africa must stop gutlessly daydreaming. Instead, it must gather the oomph to think about some important things, which are a sine qua non for its development, existence, peace, prosperity and stability, which are:
One, African countries must think about uniting Africa as the only viable means of regaining its power and lost glory instead of being egged on by self-cheating mentality and pointless dependency.
Two, Africa must start thinking about cooperation not only economically but also military for it to assuredly and practically move forward. If we consider terrorism–––though isn’t referred to as such–––that’s been going on in the DRC simply because it’s endowed with humungous sources of natural resources, we’ll understand why Africa needs to have its own army for maintaining order and peace by taking on the evils that create violence in order to enable our former colonial masters to get the ruse to exploit and occupy us as is the case in point.
Three, Africa’s indolent military arsenals many countries buy and keep for the fear of their neighbours––the west likes to use enflame each other for the distabilisation of all.
Fourth, by remaining divided, Africa is helping terrorism to devour it. Take an example of Kenya’s attempt to stamp out the al-Shabaab in Somalia. For almost eight years since Kenya put the boots in Somalia on 16thOctober, 2011 it’s never successfully extinguished the al-Shabaab. How long will the conflict drag on? Here the problem is the division of Africa as every country acts and thinks solo without, for example underscoring that al-Shabaab is the threat not only to the entire region but also Africa. Refer to how, inn July 2010, al-Shabaab attacked two bars in Kampala, Uganda, killing more than 70 persons.
What would have happened had the EAC and the Horn of Africa collectively chipped in? Had all African countries donated the number proposed above or more, what’d have been the situation in Somalia? When Kosovo faced genocide at the same time as Rwanda did, the NATO rapidly moved in and stopped the peril once and for all. White people love each other even if they’re enemies. They might fight among themselves over various things. Yet, they’ll never evidence the bloodshed of the ones of their own. If anything, this is the lesson they practically learned from the WWI. That’s why the allies decided to nuke Japan but not Germany which was the head of the axis during the WWII. White people didn’t want to see the ones of their own being butchered or nuked while there were the non-whites in Japan to use to teach their enemy the lesson. For, if we consider who’s indeed a troublemaker during the WWII, we find nobody except Germany and Italy under Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini respectively. Why didn’t the allies nuke Germany or Italy, which where the epitomes of the entire aggression? The answer is simple. Swahili sage’s it that dog’s teeth don’t bite each other.
In sum, a long story short, Africa needs to wake up from its slumber and start thinking collectively about multilaterality and true unity instead of doing so severally for its peril. That’s why colonialism and Africa’s complicity have contributed hugely to the embodiment of terrorism. To outshine it, we need to eschew our gullibility, individuality, divisive and toxic nationalism, pretentious regionalism and the like. Instead, we must embark on Africanism, oneness and Unitarianism of our wonderful continent. This way, we practically and surely can fight terrorism whenever it surfaces in whatever face, form or façade.
Source: African Executive Magazine today.
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