Libyan Bombardment and Sidelining of the African Union, Open Protest Letter to UN Secretary General
PRLog (Press Release) – Mar 23, 2011 – DATE…Monday 21st March 2011
On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination……………
His Excellency Ban Ki-Moon
Secretary General of the United Nations
760 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA
Dear Hon Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon,
OPEN PROTEST LETTER TO THE UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON, CHAIRMAN OF THE AFRICAN UNION, CHAIRMAN OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE ARAB LEAGUE AGAINST THE SHAMEFUL INSTITUTIONAL DISCRIMINATION AGAINST THE AFRICAN UNION, THE AFRICAN CONTINENT AND THE AFRICAN PEOPLE IN FOREIGN WESTERN & ARAB LEAGUE MILITARY BOMBARDMENT AGAINST LIBYA - AN AFRICAN COUNTRY AND THE VIOLATION OF THE SOVEREINGTY OF THE AFRICAN CONTINENT
We write to express our disgust at the blatant discrimination, disrespect, marginalisation that the Arab League, the European Union and the United Nations under your leadership have demonstrated against the African Union, in deciding to take military intervention against an African Union member country, situate on African territory. That this discrimination is happening in 2011, the UN Declared International Year of People of African Descent is to state the least, telling indeed. In excluding the African Union as the responsible Regional Authority and Union, you have effectively facilitated one of the most vicious supremacist foreign violations against the territorial integrity of the African Continent, since the end of colonialism.
A swift creative, high-profile, proactive diplomatic UN intervention from the outset in Libya, including an urgent trip by you as UN Secretary General and the UN Human Rights Council Chief, in consultation with the African Union, would have optimised the security and protection of lives and saved the world these horrible and costly developments which also undermine your stated priorities for 'A Stronger United Nations for a Better World’. We congratulate Russia, Germany, China, India and Brazil that wisely abstained from UN Resolution 1973, though we would have preferred the exercise of votes or veto against it, in the light of the visible marginalisation of the African Union, the legitimate regional authority of the African Continent, and condemn South Africa, Nigeria and Gabon for voting foreign military attack on African territory instead of advocating for peaceful resolution.
Afrika International states in no unambiguous terms its principal principiled position of opposition to all forms of human rights abuse [economic, military etc], including discrimination anywhere they take place on earth and advocate for principally peaceful approaches to conflict resolution and the use of non-discrimination, diplomacy and negotiations in accordance with the UN Charter.
Afrika International condemns the arms manufacturing and trade policies of supplier countries which have led to the atrocious human rights abuses that we witness in North African and the Persian Gulf States. Africa does not need arms but technology, science, engineering capacity to industrialise and non-supremacist international ethical trading mechanism to compete equally and effectively in the global market to attain long-overdue economic prosperity and independence.
The 21st Century requires a suite of creative, innovative, diplomatic, fit-for-purpose international relations instruments, not questionable tried, failed, tested, orthodox, unethically hawkish and extremely costly status quo interventions.
Afrika International draws reminds that Libya was the first African country to gain political independence from colonialism in 1951 from Italy, followed by Tunisia and Morocco in 1956 from France, then Ghana, first South of the Sahara from Britain in 1957. We remind that when Colonel Muammar Gaddafi came into power in 1969, he declared a Socialist State, nationalised Libyan Oil from foreign control, supported Palestinian Liberation for which he has never been forgiven by Western imperialist interests, besides of course matters of human rights abuse which is not limited to Libya in the North African and Persian Gulf rebellions of 2011. We therefore see institutional discrimination against the African Union, the African Continent, the African People while human rights abuses in the Persian Gulf States are connived and condoned by the UN, EU, NATO, and the Arab League, more so in the way the latter is being cited as a major speeding influence to UN Resolution 1973, and the exclusion of the African Union on whose territory Libya is located.
Afrika International categorically rejects all direct and indirect insinuations to undermine the African Union by verbal and practical attempts to separate North Africa from the rest of the African Continent. We consider these as divisive, separatist, afrophobic, anti-African and imperialist aimed at weakening Africa further, beyond the harmful fault-lines of colonialist nation state boundaries. Africa is the most culturally diverse, rich, multi-ethnic, multi-faith and multi-lingual continent in the world, but united by a shared common historical adversary of colonial occupation – barring Ethiopia - and neo-colonialism. In this and other common adversaries, Africa has a united vision of the total comprehensive liberation of the African Continent that materialises global citizenship rights for the African Peoples. There is no Arab or un-Arab Africa; no Islamic, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu or non-faith Africa. There is the One African Continent and the One African Union. Within this context, we abhor all references that seek to separate North Africa from the rest of Africa as anti-African, anti-African Union and a feature of neo-colonialist conspiracy to divide, rule, weaken and oppress Africa.
Your Excellency Secretary General, we point out to the long-term dangers of UN’s negligence right from the commencement of hostilities in Libya, for failing to creatively deploy the full array of mediatory, diplomatic and negotiating tools at its disposal, which would have saved subsequent bloodshed – not excluding due consultation with the African Union and sending high-profile UN delegation to Libya led by you as Secretary General. Instead, the UN in a dramatic false start then arm-twisted a UN Resolution 1973 for military intervention. The must take its share of responsibility for its recklessness and partially accept its part in the messy situation in Libya, the violation the African Continent’s territorial integrity which will definitely cost human lives – instead of saving them. An early diplomatic intervention would have saved Libyan lives and prevented the hugely costly foreign military attacks and its inevitable escalation in bloodshed – both pro-Gaddafi and anti-Gaddafi.
As long as Libyan blood is shed and Libyan property is destroyed, the UN and the intervening foreign Military Coalition effectively have blood on their hands. The most human-rights approach is by creative diplomacy and negotiation to optimise the protection and security of Libyan lives, prevent the violation of the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the African Continent which is effectively sabotaging the African Union –the legitimate Regional Authority in Africa.
The visible exclusion of the African Union as the legitimate regional body by the UN in connivance with the Arab League, the EU [France, UK, Italy, Denmark] and NATO is anti-African, racist and has far-reaching negative ramifications for the credibility of the already sunken image of the UN in majority Africa and amongst majority Africans worldwide. This exclusion conjures oppressive memories of centuries of colonialist domination of Africa. We strongly advocate for proactive high profile shuttle diplomacy as the best form of UN intervention in the people's uprisings in equal consultation with Regional Unions.
Yours for Equality and Human Rights
Dr Koku Adomdza FRSA, DPMSA
President, Council for Afrika International, London. United Kingdom
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