Terrorism Tops African Summit Agenda: Lip service or strategic move?
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By Trayo A. Ali
In Africa, terrorism is not only strategic threat to continent
political security and destabilization, but more importantly it also
constitutes fundamental challenge and eminent threat to its entire
"identity politics"and aims to chamge its foundation. In Africa the
phenomena surely passed the stage of political infancy. It has grown
and blown, acquired political teeth and financial muscles. Equipped
with radical Islamist political ideology (with racist tendency
inclination), it’s on daily basis gaining extra resources, control of
ground and space and steadily positioning itself with further
networking system and penetration capabilities. Obviously and despite
of all this deep-seated and well grounded reality of threat, the
continental body (for unexplained reasons) kept adopting the
proverbial monkey attitudes of (no hear evil, no see evil, and no talk
evil).
Observers and analysts of African politics relate this AU political
apathy (inability to develop an effective agenda and measures in
countering, deterring, containing and combating of the menace) to
factors including the lack of common vision on continental collective
security policy options, existence of "conflict of interest" among the
countries themselves (some being agent sponsoring terrorism while
others fighting it). But on top of these reasons is the "political
cowardice" resulting from the intimidation tactics employed by the
terrorists including hunting down of head of states. This remains the
key stumbling block.
Perhaps, as one analyst put it, with AU now daring to identify the
issue, redefining as a serious business and tabling before the Summit,
could probably make some qualitative difference.
Others also held the view that choosing of Chadian president, Mr.
Idrees Deby as the chair of the term could not be a mere coincidence
and should add more value on this move; especially considering his
profile on anti-terrorism and sufficient experience he gained from
combating the Boko Haram elements within his territory and abroad.
(1) The axe is already on the head.
Almost like in its original homeland (the Middle East), terrorism is
already deep rooted in the African political soil. Africa is
considered the most potentially vulnerable place and favorable
breeding ground. As terrorism is synonymous to radical Islamist
political method of work, its important to remember, back in the 1980s
former Egyptian president, the late Mr. Anwar Alsadat was gunned down
by terrorists. The late president Bodiaf of Algeria followed the same
fate. Long before “Algaeda” terrorist organization, in its 9-11 attack
to blow up the twin-tower in New York, US, Mr. Osama Bin Laden, the
originator of "Algaeda" had already lived under the protection and
patronage of the Islamist government in the Sudan. The time he
launched his attack on America, he was already accused of
masterminding the attack on US embassy in Nairobi and Darsalam in
Africa. With regard to AU there was already this dramatic attempt to
hunt former Egyptian president Mr. Huseni Mubarak in Addis- Ababa, the
heart capital of African Union while attending its Summit. Of course
both the timing and the place was arbitrary act.
And ever since things started falling apart in a dramatic development
while the continent’s centre could not held. Egypt was sweepingly
over-run by the fundamentalists, Libya is smashed down to the ground,
Tunisia was totally swallowed before it started recovering, and the
entire North Africa is in the state of decapacitation and pandimonium.
Down in the Sub-Sahara, Mali was crushed over-night and Nigeria and
Kenya, (AU two core states) virtually held hostage by Boko-Haram and
Al-Shabab militants while Chad is in real threatened. In all these
Sudan finger prints are tracable.
(2) With the enmy on the bed, the decision hardly works.
The conventional rule has it that “with the enemy on the bed there is
very little one can do”. Every plan is literally exposed and your
moves are virtually detected and doomed to be curtailed.
With regard to AU decision on fighting terrorism, here you have Sudan.
Under Islamist fundamentalist government, Sudan is not an idle member
of the organization. It’s there with an “eagle eyes”. It vowed to aid
its terrorist allies. When it masterminded assassination attempt
against Egyptian president in Addis Ababa, it was sending a loud and
clear message of caution to the AU. Sudan used its long arms to
torpedo any possible appropriate move and / or action against her.
Better listen to the public information offered by Dr. Hassan
Al-Turabi, the father ideologue of Sudan’s Islamist movement.
Sudan, the core member state of the AU, is identified as “state
sponsoring terrorism”, been in the black list for more than a decade
and now engaged in supporting Islamists elements in Libya, Egypt,
Mali, and Chad and elsewhere. Sudan government ruling NCP party is
chairing the position of Secretary General of the entire Africa’s
ruling parties network. Add to that the most significant one: Sudan
has the ability and capability to influence, convience and host
African “intelligence conferences” (the nerve centre of continental
security) and even resumed the role of their leadership networking
system for more than two times. What prevents her to manipulate
everything down there?
Under the above referred circumstances, it would be difficult (if not
impossible) for the AU to make its decision meaningfully operational.
Observers also are inclined to entertain the belief that the
possibility of this decision to be thrown on the shelves or reduce it
to become a matter of lip-service is higher than make it strategic and
operational decision.
Trayo A. Ali - African Peace Information Network Service (APINS)
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