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Former U.N. Official Alarmed Over Africaâs Silence on Libya

   Peter Clottey  March 01, 2011

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS

   Libyan  leader  Moammar  Gadhafi talks during the first session of the
   3rd  Africa-EU  Summit  in  Tripoli,  Libya, Monday, Nov. 29, 2010. 80
   African  and  European  Heads  of  State  and  Government  and some 50
   observers from third countries met in Tripoli to discuss concrete ways
   to stimulate inclusive growth, to create employment opportunities, and
   to use sustainable development as a driver for growth. (AP Photo/Geert
   Vanden Wijngaert)

   The  former  director  of  governance  at  the United Nations Economic
   Commission  for  Africa  questions why African leaders and the African
   Union  have  been  âalarmingly  silentâ  about  the  crisis  in  Libya
   following   what  he  describes  as  the  grave  human  rights  abuses
   perpetrated by forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi.

   Okey Onyejekwe says a number of people across Africa are surprised and
   embarrassed  that  the  continental  body  has  failed to back Libyaâs
   anti-government protesters who want democracy in their country.

   âA  number  of  people  are quite surprised that the African Union and
   African states have been rather quiet on the goings on in North Africa
   and  particularly  recently in Libya. The issue here for me is that we
   in  the  continent  should  indentify with what is going on because we
   started the path of democratization on the fall of the Berlin Wall, in
   which  African  masses  were  beginning  to demand the say-so in their
   affairs of the state and how they were governed.â

   Officials  of  the African Union have yet to comment officially on the
   crisis  in  Libya,  as  anti-government  protesters demand reforms and
   Gadhafiâs ouster after 42 years of rule.

   âOne  of  the  challenges which African states have to address in this
   decade  is  the  issue of becoming relevant players in global politics
   and  on  the  reaction  to what is going on in Libya, particularly the
   fact  that  unarmed  civilians, who were simply asking for their basic
   rights, were being gunned down,â said Onyejekwe.

   âSomething  which  we in the African Union should join the rest of the
   world because across Asia, across Europe, there is total condemnation.
   And  then,  if we must become active players and be taken seriously in
   global  politics,  we  need  to  have  our voices heard on issues like
   this.â

   Onyejekwe says it is unfortunate Africaâs leaders remain silent in the
   face of the ongoing crisis in Libya.

   âThere  are  quite  a  number of views on what some people have called
   alarming,  deafening  silence on taking a position, at the very least,
   on  condemnation  of  the  reaction  of  the  Libyan government to the
   peaceful  demonstrators.  A number of people have speculated that some
   African states have identified with Gadhafi and are quite reluctant to
   be critical,â said Onyejekwe.

   âOthers  have  said  that he (Gadhafi) has deep pockets (and he) has a
   lot  of  investments  in several African countries, and they are quite
   also  reticent  based  on  this factor. But, it is misplaced given the
   fact  that  these  are  human  rights issues, basic issues of decency,
   especially  in the sense that African states themselvesâ¦have affirmed
   commitment to good governance and democratization.â

   Recently,  Jean Ping the African Union Commission chief condemned what
   he  described  as  the  âdisproportionate use of forceâ against Libyan
   anti-government  protesters. But, critics say the continental body has
   been ineffective in handling the crisis in Libya.

   Meanwhile,   in   a   Monday   interview  with  several  Western  news
   organizations,  Gadhafi  said  he cannot step down because he holds no
   official government position.

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