War of lies …

Africa, Europe and the war in Libya

Lazarus Sauti

 

P

rofessor Vladimir Shubin - Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences in his paper titled ‘Africa, Europe and the war in Libya’ alleged that the International Criminal Court’s role in Africa is at the best controversial.

He believed that it is high time Africa should find solutions to its problems. He chronicled on the creation of the African Union, the role played by the late Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and the events that led to Qaddafi’s death.

In the paper ‘Africa, Europe and the war in Libya’ Professor Shubin writes: “The threshold of the 21^st century witnessed the formation of a new continental body, the African Union (AU). “A proposal to create it was put forward by the Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi at the summit of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in Algiers in 1999.”

He added: “The AU differs from its predecessor in a number of aspects; the most important are two of them: more attention to democracy and protection of human rights and a higher degree of co-operation, in particular in the military field.

“A real test of these innovations came ten years later, with the tragic events in Libya that began in February 2011 and we have to say that the AU failed it, although it was not entirely the fault of that body.

“By that time “Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya”, as Libya was officially named, was a welfare state: life expectancy was in the seventies, the country's literacy rate rose to 90%, free education, free healthcare, and financial assistance for housing were introduced as well as financial support was provided for university scholarships and employment programs.

“The country remained debt-free and its Human Development Index was the highest in Africa.”

However, all these achievements were not enough to appease a part of the population who were no longer ready to tolerate over four decades of Muammar Qaddafi’s dictatorship, even if it was portrayed as a “direct democracy”.

To those with short memories, anti-government protests began on February 15 2011, after the changes in Tunisia and Egypt, and the regime used force to suppress them. The accusations in violation of human rights followed.

What is worth noting is the fact that the war against Libya was based on fraudulence, fabrication and lies.

Shubin says one of first “warriors” of the “war of lies” was British Foreign Secretary William Hague.

Hague virtually claimed that Qaddafi had left Tripoli for Caracas. “About whether Col. Gaddafi, is in Venezuela, I have no information that says he is although I have seen some information that suggests he is on his way there,” he said.

Hague was not alone.

When the truth about the Libyan tragedy and the persons responsible for it began to be known, it became clear that one of them was a South African citizen Navanethem (Navi) Pillayi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The bitter irony is that her words about “widespread and systematic attacks against the civilian population” which “may amount to crimes against humanity” and her reference to a Libyan defector’s claim that “Qaddafi had started the genocide against the Libyan people” were used by those who wanted the United Nations’ “cover-up” of their aggressive actions that led to gross violation of human rights, including the very right to live.

Shubin writes, “Pillayi’s accusations were not confirmed by the International Commission of Inquiry on Libya established by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council but, again, it was too late.”

From Hague and Pillayi’s loads of lies, the UN Security Council “passed two resolutions against Libya on the basis of ‘unproven claims’.

The war of lies that were widely disseminated includes claims that Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was killing his own people in Benghazi and other parts of the country; he had ordered Libyan forces to kill 6,000 people; he had hired African mercenaries to massacre civilians and jet attacks were being conducted to quell the `uprising.’

On the other side, statements by Gaddafi that he would go “house to house” to cleanse the nation of “cockroaches” and “rats” were used as a proof of the incitement to commit crimes against humanity.

These words were repeated by mass-media all over the world, but his next phrase got missing: “people who had no arms had no reason to fear".

Moreover Qaddafi simultaneously ordered his troops “not to pursue any protesters who drop their guns and flee when government forces reach the city”.

Coming to Africa’s position, Shubin writes: “President of Mauritania Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, spoke about the need for urgent action “so an African solution can be found to the very serious crisis”, which must take into account “our desire that Libya's unity and territorial integrity be respected as well as the rejection of any kind of foreign military intervention.”

It is clear from Professor Shubin’s quote that those who attacked Libya did not want to give a chance for an ‘African solution’.

From events that happened to Libya and Africa countries, it is relevant to point out that the International Criminal Court’s role in Africa is at the best controversial. Therefore, Africa must resolve her own conflicts. This notion was supported by Zimbabwean writer Conrad Nyamutata and Allen Hungwe.

Conrad Nyamutata, Zimbabwean journalist writes: “Self-interests of westerners aside, Africa must resolve its own conflicts. Given the regularity of conflicts on the continent, Africa should now have efficient mechanism to deal with the conflicts.

“The now regular intervention of foreigners in conflicts on the continent undermines Africa’s supra-national bodies.”

Another Zimbabwean writer, Allen Hungwe writes that Africa must not lose sight of her own needs and preferences and these must dictate the terms of how any foreign assistance must be discharged.

Hungwe said, “We need to embrace genuine partnerships with those foreign powers willing to come on our own terms.”

For Africa to effectively solve its own conflicts, it is the ultimately responsibility of Africans and the African Union to ensure that the continent responds as a collective when one of its constituent countries is over-run by externally inspired forces.

This will help to forge pan-Africanism as a force. The events that happened in Libya proved beyond any reasonable doubt that the western machines are oiled to propagate lies that portray Africa as a dark continent. The western leaders are using these lies to interfere and try to recolonise the continent well known as the ‘treasure island’