Africa, Armed Conflicts, Headlines, Human Rights, North America

AFRICA: African Union Divided over Libya

Thandi Winston

CAPE TOWN, Jul 1 2011 (IPS) - As African heads of state gather to discuss the future of the youth of the continent, Libya’s Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is a noticeable absentee at the African Union (AU) summit in Equatorial Guinea.

While the summit’s focus is on youth employment, the situation in Libya and the United Nations- backed, International Criminal Court (ICC’s) indictment against Gaddafi and his top lieutenants and the continuing NATO bombardment threatens to dominate discussions as some African leaders have denounced the indictment while others support the forced removal of Gaddafi.

Gaddafi will not be in attendance at the 17thAU Summit being held in the Equatorial Guinea capital of Malabo until the Jul. 1. However, in the past he was a force to be reckoned with at AU summits and once described himself as the “King of Kings”, and dished out money freely to African heads of States.

ICC indictment slammed by African leaders

African leaders have denounced the ICC’s indictment against the Libyan leader, slamming the decision by the Hague body.

“It is important that the ICC is not used to try and resolve a political crisis. We believe political dialogue should be the way forward and that the military engagement is not going to deliver the peace that we require in Libya,” said Kenyan Ambassador to the AU, Monica Juma.

With 32 African members of the ICC’s 116 members, the continent is a significant block but there is concern that its only African leaders who are being indicted and thus being victamised by the court. Gaddafi is the second sitting African head of state, after Sudans’ Omar El-Bashir, to be indicted by the court.

African foreign ministers denounced the indictment accusing the body of “failing to collect enough evidence to prove that Gaddafi has committed war crimes” and accusing it “as an instrument by powerful Western governments to punish and humiliate African leaders.”

But the ICC hit back. In an interview in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan, the body’s deputy prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, rejected charges it unfairly targets Africa.

“Any time I hear this about the ICC targeting Africa, ICC doing double justice (standards), it saddens me, especially as an African woman,” she said on Jun. 30. “Most of these conflicts are happening on the continent … The ICC’s concentration on Africa is always as a result of the engagement of the African people with ICC.”

South Africa set to lobby for an end to NATO strikes

South Africa is also lobbying African leaders to pass and adopt a resolution calling for an immediate halt of NATO-led attacks. This, however, comes amid criticism that the AU has not done enough to denounce the NATO airstrikes that have killed hundreds of innocent civilians.

“We are saying suspension of hostilities first,” said South Africa’s international relations minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane in Malabo.

The country has been criticised at home and abroad for endorsing the U.N. Security Council resolution authorising NATO forces to enforce a no-fly zone in Libya.

Speaking during the opening ceremony, the AU Chairman and President of Equatorial Guinea, President Teodoro Obiang, said: “Africa desires that non-African countries and organisations that have the power to use force should not intervene in a solution of African problems without prior consensus of Africa because they might result in the violation of international law.”

The AU’s Jean Ping was equally scathing of the NATO air strikes: “Our conviction is that the Libyans themselves should take ownership of this democratic change in their country. Without prejudice of the outcome of your deliberations, I would like to stress my conviction that Africa will be useful in the service of the Libyan people.”

“We have come for the AU to support our position and that the position of Africa will be strong,” said Libyan representative, Joma Ibrahim Amer.

Breaking ranks

But it seems some African leaders are not supporting Gadaffi and not speaking with one voice at all. Senegal’s Abdoulaye Wade and Ethiopian Meles Zenawi are supporting moves by the West to use force to unseat Gaddafi. Mauritania also joined the chorus and has called on Gaddafi to step down.

The U.N.’s deputy secretary general Asha Rose Migiro defended resolution 1973 that mandated NATO forces in Libya and said, “There should be no doubt about our aims. The objective is to protect civilians and work for a durable peace that meets the aspirations of the Libyan people.”

Millions spent to impress foreign dignitaries

Meanwhile human rights bodies have criticised the lavish spending on the AU summit. Human Rights Watch says close to 830 million dollars was spent to construct a luxury complex outside the capital Malabo. Obiang’s government, which holds the rotating presidency of the AU chairmanship, has rolled out the red carpet for the heads of state.

“The Obiang government hopes that foreign visitors will be favorably impressed by the deluxe facilities, but visitors should instead question why the government is building villas for the rich while Equatorial Guinea’s poor live in slums without reliable electricity or drinking water,” said Tutu Alicante from the Washington-based EG Justice.

Oil revenue make the country’s per capita wealth in 2010 equivalent to that of Germany and Japan, but living standards remain poor.

According to a 2009 UNICEF report, the country is ranked 14th-worst in the world with regards to human poverty. A statistic the government denies: “The president has launched an ambitious program called Horizon 2020, which is aimed at using the nation’s revenues to improve health, education, and the economy in the country.”

And whether the issue of youth employment will get its moment in Malabo remains to be seen.