http://www.southerntimesafrica.com/news_article.php?id=6624&title=Stirring%20Trouble&type=83
By Farirai Machivenyika and Mabasa Sasa
Published: 2012-02-03
Stirring Trouble
Nicolas Sarkozy is on the prowl and Africa is the prey.
After playing leading roles in the wars in Cote d’Ivoire and Libya
last year, the President of France has turned his attention to other
parts of Africa, including the SADC region.
France has been fingered as a culprit in the failed election of an
African Union Commission chair at the Ordinary Summit of continental
Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last week.
And the same country is said to be meddling in the Madagascar crisis
that has seen the Indian Ocean island nation going for nearly three
years without a functioning government.
Madagascar, like Cote d’Ivoire, was a French colony and Paris appears
intent on directing political and economic matters in its “backyard”.
Reports from Addis Ababa indicate that the failure by the AU to elect
an AU Commission chair was due to heavy lobbying by France’s
Ambassador to Ethiopia, Jean-Christophe Belliard.
Belliard reportedly arm-twisted some countries to back Dr Jean Ping,
the incumbent, against SADC’s candidate Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who
is South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister and former Foreign Affairs
supremo.
In three rounds of voting, Ping secured narrow leads but not the
outright majority required.
Dlamini-Zuma then withdrew her candidature.
This would have given Ping a clear run but, as a sign that there was
a lot of disgruntlement, he failed to secure the support of two-thirds
of AU members, as required, to fill the post.
In that fourth round Ping got 33 votes, meaning 20 countries did not
vote for him.
The election will be held again in June in Malawi.
Mozambique’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Oldemiro Baloi, insinuated the
deadlock was because of outside interference.
Baloi said the poll flopped “because we felt this was not just a
discussion between Africans and that is why Ping did not win in the
fourth round”.
Online reports quoted Mozambican and South African sources complaining
about external interference.
“I cannot mention the name of the country but there was outside
interference, not only in the election, but also in some of the
dossiers under discussion, such as the question of Madagascar,” a
source was quoted saying.
Minister Baloi said such interference was not new, while Zimbabwe’s
President Robert Mugabe heaped coals on African leaders for allowing
the West to divide them so easily.
President Mugabe said, “We fought imperialism and colonialism and
forced them out of Africa...
“Our founding fathers did not have the means, but they stood up and
said ‘no’; but here we are absolutely silent...
“(Slain Libyan leader Muammar) Gaddafi was killed in broad daylight,
his children hunted like animals and then we rush to recognise the NTC
(NATO-backed rebel group, National Transitional Council)...
“Well, well that was Libya. Who will be next?
“This is not what our founding fathers would have thought would happen.
“We don’t certainly represent them properly if we take that stance.
“So I am saying let’s look at ourselves … look at ourselves and look at Europe.
“I saw a picture yesterday of Gaddafi shaking hands with Sarkozy in
France after they invited him there, but those hands that Gaddafi was
shaking were the hands that were going to kill him a few months later.
“How far then do we go in associating with such people?
“They have an economic crisis in Europe, they have exhausted their resources.
“Africa still has plenty of them. We are discovering more oil, more
minerals, gold, more diamonds.
“We still have our natural resources, natural gas, so re-colonisation
might take place. Let us take care, all of us. It has not just
happened to Gaddafi.”
Political commentator, Professor Jonathan Moyo, said it was time
Africa stood up to the West.
“The failure to conclude the election of the AU chairman is an
indictment on some African countries, especially the French-speaking
countries.
“Some of them have continued to allow France to dictate affairs in
their countries in a manner that do not serve Africa’s interest.”
Analysts believe SADC will have to confront Sarkozy’s imperial ambitions openly.
According to the Southern Africa Report, Andry Rajoelina is colluding
with France to prevent the return of ousted president Marc
Ravalomanana to Madagascar.
This directly undermines a SADC roadmap agreed last year to return
Madagascar to political and economic stability.
Madagascar was thrown into crisis in 2009 when Rajoelina overthrew
Ravalomanana’s administration in a military-backed coup.
Rajoelina’s courts want to lock Ravalomanana up in jail for life
after they tried him in absentia and found him guilty of murder.
Ravalomanana fled the country and is exiled in South Africa. Last
month a flight he was aboard, en route to Antananarivo, turned back to
Johannesburg when authorities in Madagascar said they would not
recognise the SADC roadmap and would jail the Former President.
SADC mediators feel Rajoelina is not holding to his end of the
bargain to bring stability back to the island.
The Southern Africa Report said the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence
and Security (Troika), which is leading the peace process, had
evidence that France was egging Rajoelina on.
“The troika countries (South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia) have
evidence that Rajoelina is working with Paris, Madagascar’s Army
Chief-of-Staff General Andre Ndriarijaona, and the commander of the
Gendarmerie (police), Bruno Razafindrako, to deny Ravalomanana his
right to re-enter the country.
“On January 21, the day Ravalomanana attempted his quixotic return,
Rajoelina attempted to persuade SADC to delay his arrival for three
months. “At the same time, France commenced its own intense lobbying
in other international bodies to keep Ravalomanana from the country.
“The aim of these delays appears to be to prevent Ravalomanana – who
continues to command significant popular support on the island – from
being in Madagascar when an election is held under the terms of a
transition agreed to last year.” The report goes on to say, “Security
services in the region say they are aware of a six-point strategy
devised by Paris and Antananarivo to prevent Ravalomanana from
returning.”
The plan reportedly involves:
· Deploying security forces loyal to Rajoelina inside Ivato
International Airport in Antananarivo.
· Deploying Rajoelina supporters outside the airport to antagonise
and destabilise the estimated 100 000 Ravalomanana supporters expected
at the airport to welcome him home.
· Issuing statements threatening Ravalomanana supporters with arrest.
· Threatening to arrest Ravalomanana on arrival.
· Lobbying the international community to persuade SADC not to allow
Ravalomanana back.
· As a last resort, issuing a Notice to All Airmen (NOTAM) to deny
landing rights to all airlines and thus close down all airspace
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Received on Fri Feb 03 2012 - 08:07:37 EST
