African Union Summit in Libya Discusses Greater Unity

Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, speaking at the Dr. Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on April 5, 2008. The event commemorated the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos

African Union Summit in Libya Discusses Greater Unity

Continental organization adopts positions on Sudan and Somalia

by Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire
Commentary

Sirte, Libya was host to the 13th African Union Summit held between July 1-3. The AU, an organizations representing all 53 independent states in Africa, held extensive discussions on how to build unity and cooperation on the continent.

Chairperson Muammar Khadafi, the leader of the North African state of Libya, utilized his experience and political clout in advocating strongly for the formation of a continental government. This goal has been in existence since the mid-1960s when the early independence leaders, those of whom were revolutionaries, struggled against the onslaught of neo-colonialism where the imperialists would seek to control Africa even after national liberation from colonialism was attained.

At this year's summit, which came amid a worsening global economic crisis within world capitalism that has plunged 53 million Africans into poverty over the last two years, the AU debates reflected the ongoing struggle for unity and development.

Although the creation of a unified continental government was not achieved, the AU agreed to transform the Commission, the executive committte of the organization, into an Authority which will be comprised of a chair, vice-chair and 10 secretaries with specific portfolios that will theoretically expand institutional power over defense, diplomacy and international trade.

The Xinhua press agency reported that during the course of the AU meeting, Gaddafi "held intensive bilateral and multilateral talks with African leaders during this summit, to persuade those who take different views to support the creation of the AU Authority.

"When meeting with South African President Jacob Zuma, the Libyan leader stressed that Tripoli and Pretoria play significant roles in boosting the AU development and establishing the new AU executive organ. During the meeting, Zuma conceded Libya's efforts to set up the United States of Africa." (Xinhua, July 4)

In the aftermath of the AU Summit, the Libyan leader expressed satisfaction at the outcome and the efforts made toward greater unity and cooperation. He was quoted as saying that "With the setting up of this Authority, Africa will speak through one single voice to take up challenges," Gaddafi said.

Since the formation of the Organization of African Unity in 1963, which later was changed to the African Union in 2002, the concept and demand for continental unity has been an consistent theme among progressive and revolutionary organizations and leaders. Kwame Nkrumah, the leader of the Ghana revolution which won national independence in 1957, stated repeatedly that African unity and socialism were the pre-requisites to the realization of genuine economic empowerment and political stability.

A co-founder of the OAU, Nkrumah hosted the continental summit in Ghana in October 1965, just four months prior to his removal from office in a right-wing military and police coup backed and financed by the United States under the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson. During this summit, Nkrumah stressed the need to go beyond national independence towards the unification of Africa which would stand in opposition to western hegemony.

In Nkrumah's address to the OAU Summit on October 21, 1965, he stated that "In spite of these resolutions and declarations, in spite of all good intentions, in spite of our plans, the naked fact, alas, is that Africa is still an impoverished continent, immobilized by the lack of political cohesion, harrassed by imperialism and ransacked by neo-colonialism." (Nkrumah, Revolutionary Path, 1973, pp. 304-5)

The Ghanaian leader later said that "This is so because our unity is still incomplete and ineffective in the face of grave threats to our existence. What use is it to us then that our continent is so rich in material and human resources? Brothers and Colleagues, the fault is in ourselves, not in our stars.... The OAU must face such a choice now--we can either move forward to progress through an effective African Union or step backward into stagnation, instability and confusion--an easy prey for foreign intervention, interferences and subversion." (Revolutionary Path, p. 307)

AU Positions on Sudan and Somalia

At the 13th AU Summit, the general consensus among African heads-of-state was to oppose the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants that have been issued against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and other leaders of this country. At the end of the Summit, the organization passed a resolution of non-compliance with the ICC and accused the western states of not taking into consideration repeated calls by the AU to suspend the warrants against the Sudanese leaders.

Jean Ping of Gabon, who is the Chairperson of the AU Commission, stated to the media that the resolution of non-compliance affirms that "if you don't listen to Africa, and take our proposals into account, we are going to act unilaterally." The AU's decision in relationship to Sudan created controversy among western-based agencies such as Human Rights Watch who support the ICC's interference in African affairs.

Also a handful of western-allied states expressed unease about the AU's defiance toward the ICC and consequently the imperialist countries. Even though many other states, including the U.S., do not recognize the authority of the ICC over its citizens, the warrants issued against Al-Bashir are utilized by these same governments to weaken and pressure Sudan, which is Africa's largest geographic nation-state and an emerging oil-producing nation.

In a statement reportedly issued by the Foreign Minister of Botswana, Phandu Skelemani, his government did not agree with the AU declaration and cited treaty obligations with the ICC as the reason. Also the French-backed government of Chad, which neighbors Sudan and is another oil-producing country, voiced displeasure with the AU position in support of President Al-Bashir and other officials.

Nonetheless, with reference to Somalia, the AU was reported to have pledged additional support for the U.S.-backed Transitional Federal Government in Mogadishu. "We welcome the support of the recent AU heads of states summit in Libya for the government... and we have a firm pledge for the increase of the AU peacekeepers," Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke told journalists in Mogadishu on Sunday. (BBC, July 5)

Yet the presence of AU Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) forces has remained at 4,300 troops supplied by the U.S.-backed states of Uganda and Burundi. These troops have been accused of carrying out attacks against civilians in urban areas resulting in the displacement of 165,000 people from Mogadishu alone since May. The AMISOM forces are fighting alongside TFG units to prevent the seizure of power by the Islamic resistance fighters of Al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam, which controls large sections of the south and central regions of Somalia along with many areas within the capital.

Although a few other African states have indicated that they would send reinforcements to AMISOM, none have come forward as of yet. The current U.S.-backed government in Somalia has made a direct appeal for intervention from neighboring African states as well as the "international community."

In response to the announcements by the TFG spokesperson of assurances of greater AU support, Al-Shabaab rejected the notion of strengthening the AMISOM mandate. "It is a chance for our mujahideen (holy warriors) to seize weapons from Amisom soldiers should they come out of their hideouts,” said Sheikh Ali Dhere, a spokesperson for Al-Shabaab told the Kenya Daily Nation.

“It will be a great chance for our fighters to test their fighting skills that will surely lead to the defeat of the foreign soldiers,” he added.

Al-Shabaab's Sheikh Ali Dhere condemned the AU Summit leaders who met in Libya for discussing agenda items that work against the Somali people.

“They are there to talk about how to harm the Somali people,” said the Al-Shabaab spokesman.

More importantly, despite the statements by the TFG government, the Daily Nation reported that "The AU Summit, however, did not conclude a resolution allowing the Amisom peacekeepers to directly support the TFG." (Daily Nation, July 5)

Overshadowing the statements made during the AU, the U.S. pledged additional military support to the TFG. Undersecretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson said that "The U.S. is glad that the Africa Union and IGAD (the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development) did take up the issue of Somalia at the Summit in Libya and have taken a strong stance on the issue under their wings for close and careful consideration," said Carson.

"The U.S. will continue to look for ways of providing support to the TFG (Transitional Federal Government)... This will include military support in terms of arms and material resources but not manpower." (Xinhua, July 4)

The Role of U.S. Imperialism in Stifling African Unity

With the constant attempts by the U.S. to both infuence and dominate African affairs, the efforts aimed at unification will remain elusive. Although the AU defied the U.S. position on Sudan, it has not been able to effectively rebuke the Obama administration on the question of sovereignty and non-interference in the political situation in Somalia.

Since the involvement of the Bush administration in the invasion of Somalia by Ethiopia between December 2006 and January 2009, the Horn of Africa region has been further militarized and destabaliized. It has been estimated that the humanitarian situation in Somalia is the worse on the continent. At the same time, there is an ever increasing presence of U.S. and NATO warships, among vessels from other countries, that have taken up positions in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean off the coasts of Somalia and Kenya.

Under the guise of fighting piracy, the imperialist states are poised for direct military involvement inside Somalia. In addition to the so-called anti-piracy campaign, the Al-Qaeda organization has been blamed for the advances of the Al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam forces that have taken over large sections of the country.

However, both Islamic resistance groups have denied affiliations with Al-Qaeda. There main motivating force has been a desire to rid Somalia of AMISOM units and the U.S.-backed government in Mogadishu. The pirates who patrol Somali waters say that imperialist states and multi-national corporations are responsible for the destruction of the coasts and the fishing industry through illegal theft of sea life and the dumping of toxic chemicals. No deaths took place in the seizure of vessels by the pirates until the U.S. Navy killed three Somali youths who had taken a ship under their control and was negotiating for its release.

The workers and nationally oppressed in the United States are facing the worse economic crisis since the Great Depression in the 1930s. In Africa and other developing or so-called Third World countries, the global crisis in capitalism has relegated tens of millions more into poverty.

These conditions prevailing internationally provides opportunities for workers and the oppressed in both Africa and North America to demonstrate solidarity in opposition to U.S. militarism and imperialism. Perpetual wars and destabilization efforts in Africa by the U.S. has not resulted in greater prosperity for workers inside the country. In fact, resources utilized for imperialist wars contribute significantly to the decline in living standards among workers in the highly-industrialized capitalist states.

Therefore, the defeat of world capitalism and imperialism can be achieved only through greater collaboration among the working and oppressed peoples throughout the world.
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Abayomi Azikiwe is the editor of the Pan-African News Wire. The author has traveled extensively in Africa and has followed events related to the ongoing quest for development and unity on the continent.
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