Rwanda Pseudopodia spreading? Monday 7th April was day of commemoration. For the Rwandans who lost their lives in the 1994 genocide. For those who survived with the knowledge of what they lived through, participated in, witnessed we just say sorry. The genocide stories from Rwanda make many shudder, many say that is only possible in Rwanda and we are above it. Look, that is living in denial; conditions for conflict even the would be more devastating and bigger magnitude are always with us. And Thomas Hobbes wasn’t wrong to say man in a state of nature is naturally mean, and life is short, nasty and brutal. Only praying to our gods won’t help us but institutions to manage diversity will do. Post-genocide, Africa said never again that’s the catch phrase everywhere, but I beg to ask is that real? Yes it is the genocide that forced the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to strengthen its preventive and protective capacity in human-rights emergencies. However, what happens in Malakal, Darfur though in less in magnitude is a pointer that conflict can change dimension and strategies need to change too. It is the genocide that ensured the African Union’s Constitutive Act spells out the AU’s right to intervene in member states where crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes are being committed — the then much-lauded move “from non-interference to non-indifference.” However, when is the intervention needed? How long did it take the African Union to Intervene in cote d’Ivoire, Libya, Mali and Egypt? And why did it take a short time for Uganda to Intervene in South Sudan? Basically does it mean that some states are more equal than others in George Orwel’s Terms The question that confronts us is what, in fact, what normative and institutional commitments mean to ordinary Africans. For over two decades the African Union has been remodeling its peace and security architecture (APSA), including an early warning system. Questions arise on the response capability of the African Union, is it swift and robust enough? Is AU’s early warning system leading to an AU intervention that is now effective enough? Your guess is as good as mine, but it calls on reflection. There has been a consistent inconsistency in the way the African Union has engaged its services. Nothing has been done in a systematic manner but only out of ‘a gut-feel’ reactionary tactic. To the Africans Au I not a friend as envisaged by their declarations at Addis Ababa to protect the powers that be. To Africans the message that trickles down is bitter, but the cold undisputable truth that, might is right. The African Union in Henric Ibsen’s words is the Enemy of the people, the Central African Republic is quickly sliding into the fire from the frying pan that it is in and South Sudan war drums continue unabated. The religious tinder-box in Central African Republic that has overwhelmed the African Union Peace Keeping force, the Au’s lop-sided Commission of Inquiry in Sudan Accountability has been thrown to the dogs; It is only suitable when it suits the elite. There can be no accountability without Justice and this feeds in the spectrum of reconciliation. Protection means justice irrespective of the hierarchy of power, whether usurping legally- gained power or protecting the power. Every endeavor must have limits. Institutional norms ought to be seen working, it should be a quid pro quo basis between the governors and the governed. Lives of the ‘compact majority’ should be sacrosanct. As we look at Rwanda we should remember that we do not deal with grievances but only create temporary measures as long as the buttered side of our loaf doesn’t touch the ground. We may think we are out of the woods but the ineffectiveness of Africa to curb the pseudopodia-hand of its leaders and inability to baby sit its institutions, then Rwanda in 1994 is slowly eating us. Auchi Ngonela- NAIROBI
Posted on: Fri, 11 Apr 2014 12:41:43 +0000
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