After the Arab Spring, this is the Black Spring, said Martin Aglo, a law student from Benin where the opposition has already organized demonstrations against any attempt by President Boni Yayi to stay in power.” “Long-serving African leaders, such as those in Angola, Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea, face emerging pressures at home from restless unemployed youth, discontent over inequality and democratization demands, magnified by expanding social media.” “But not all African states can replicate Burkina Fasos readiness for change.” “The poor, cotton-producing state south of the Sahara desert already had a tradition of street protest and military-supported social uprisings. Marxist military captain Thomas Sankara led a popular revolution in 1983 inspired by Fidel Castros rise to power in Cuba in the late 1950s.” “Opposition movements elsewhere want Compaores downfall to serve as a warning to their own rulers. I am full of admiration for what happened in Burkina Faso ... Our African leaders should draw a lesson from this, said Mierassa in Brazzaville, where Sassou-Nguesso has spent a total of 35 years as president.” “However, they face more firmly entrenched rulers and elites than did the protesters in Burkina Faso. Crucial to the success of Compaores overthrow was army sympathy with the disgruntled masses, following a 2011 military revolt over unpaid bonuses.” “As the crowd swelled to hundreds of thousands in Ouagadougous Place de la Nation, soldiers stayed in their barracks, allowing the protesters to set the parliament ablaze.” “By contrast, presidents of wealthy oil-producing states, such as Angolas Jose Eduardo dos Santos or Equatorial Guineas Teodoro Obiang Nguema, can use state resources to grease the wheels of political patronage and invest in the loyalty of their military hierarchies.” https://news.yahoo/beyond-burkina-faso-africas-black-spring-hopes-may-070124128.html
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 03:22:53 +0000
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