Africa Destined To Bleed Yet More! Any Remedy? - Analysis
By <
http://www.eurasiareview.com/author/dr-muhammad-aslam-khan-niazi/> Dr.
Muhammad Aslam Khan Niazi
-- (March 6, 2013)
".but I tell you.out of this Nettle, Danger, we pluck this flower, Safety."
- Shakespeare
The African continent, characterized by its geopolitical and geo-economics
significance does not escape observers' focus with its 54 nations, having
cumulative fifth world largest economy, next to US, China, Japan and India.
While ten fastest of the developing economies are located in Africa, the
continent is, nevertheless, plagued by multiple paradoxes of threatening
consequences. The state upheavals, insurgency, chronic human rights
violations, child wars, dripping poverty, drugs trafficking, ethnic and
ideological massacres eclipse its peace and stability potentials. ". way to
the Better there be, it exacts a full look at the worst", said Thomas Hardy.
In modern era, perhaps it fits well on Sahel Region. Human dignity to the
African masses stands denied, a few islands of exception notwithstanding.
The Arena
Sahel Region lies between the latitudes 120 N and 200 N. The two latitudes
run through parts of, from the east, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Chad, Niger,
Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania,
Senegal and Gambia. Possibly the recent flurry of worries would stand
substantiated a bit more if we turn the pages of history for a while. Some
old sources depict Sahel region historically a grey zone where peace and
stability struggled to survive gaspingly between competing empires. In
globalized world politics, the region has become more relevant because of
its emergence as a menacing hotbed of organised crimes sprouting from its
abject poverty. The scenario directly threatens the prosperous regions of
Europe/Eurasian continents through a short hop across the Mediterranean.
Like Cicero, early Roman Republic, expressing its anguish against high-sea
pirates; can we label these crime perpetrators as enemies of human race?
Such consensus would be easy to achieve only if international community
musters collective will to render collective response to the conflicts.
Threat Dynamics
The implicit and explicit narrative to counter brief but deadly inventory of
threats directed against the African masses as well as Mediterranean shores
would be phase two of the response. The catastrophe, in fact, has already
festered within Sahel Region as phase one of the existential threats. Hence,
assessing the task and pre-empting the challenges would certainly be prudent
strategy than waiting for knock by the monster. The print and electronic
media has seen particular hype in delineating the threat trajectory,
emanating from Sahel region. Prevailing destabilizing environments surface
in nutshell as the bed-rock of the menace. Sahel region has remained marred
by the extensive governance deficit that exacerbated the miseries of masses
over decades. Prolonged absence of writ of states prompted the clans to
coalesce inwardly to seek added security and settle scores with their foes.
The tendency led to formation of organized armed militias to redress their
genuine or perceived grievances. Warlords flourished, at times out-weighing
military capabilities of the so called legitimate native regimes.
The region has also become heaven for the drug traffickers who operate with
impunity through Colombian-Sahelian-Eurasian cartels' alliance. Illicit
money enables terror gangs to flourish. Large segments of public, caught in
the cross fire, attempts to flee massacre and poverty. It results in
'boat-loads' of irregular immigrants on European shores with dubious, if not
criminal dossiers. Energy reserves and precious metals sites are subject of
severe contention from within and without. While Africa moans, theatre of
war without boundaries has also emerged in this region. Market states of
consents are also grappling with transnational actors, inclined to wreak
havoc as the Sahelian arena presents a perfect breeding ground for
militants. There will be no clear victors and hence no conventional victory
parades but the one staying the course would be winner, argued Philip
Bobbitt. The region, in the wake of recent conflicts in Central Asia, Middle
East and North Africa, is likely to draw more debate than ever. The fact
that it is in the cusp of crises would be hard to deny. Elaborate
strategies, modes and magnitudes to rescue it from the kind of a tragedy
emerge as daunting questions. Here the issue has been approached from
Atlantic alliance perspective.
Inspirations and Inhibitions
The US, Europe fraternity has its military capability harnessed by NATO that
performed operational task in Afghanistan in unison. US also has its
dedicated forces 'command' for Africa as well. Though there is no dearth of
military muscle, US and Europe have to be on same page while keeping UN on
board. Concurrently, understanding among P-5 would be a geopolitical
prerequisite to help Sahel region manage its threats. Model interventions on
humanitarian ground in Libya and recent French military's venture into Mali
did draw some critique by the quarters that had reasons to sound their
dissent. The divergent approaches manifested themselves all too glaring in
the context of Syrian crisis. In predominantly Muslim world, spanning over
Sahel from 20-90 percent of various countries' population, Islamic Maghreb
and adjoining Middle East, some views, even shared by certain Western think
tanks, are emerging to the contrary. The talk of creating a threat-bogey by
the powers that are inclined to trample Africa through resource wars is
becoming conspicuously shrilling. The patterns of recent conflicts have
rendered the opponents strong arguments that (according to them) overblown
crises are in fact the pretext to grab African assets. At the same time,
they argue that under the hoax of Al-Qaeda and a contrived war on terror,
another predominantly Muslim region would be targeted for achieving the ends
that have no relevance to the pretexts. US, in effort to enforce its values,
has drawn considerable volley of flak. It faces such allegations as
crystallizing and aggravating the ongoing (rich) North-South poor) dilemma,
reviving the crusades and above all, attempting to maintain hegemonic
imperium. Even some credible western sources share such fears.
The Sahel region however, sinking in a quagmire, bears threat of impending
human catastrophe in the fold. It calls for liquidating the menace in a
decisive manner for humanity sake, disregard to the obtaining geo-politics,
for and against arguments. Question is how to do it while eliminating the
threat and at the same time, maintaining universal credibility as well?
Response Blueprint, Preparatory Posture
Employing military methodology, precisely assess the depth and magnitude of
threat. A threat-prong aims inwardly at Sahelian states. International
community, with larger input from trans-Atlantic alliance, should firm up
Sahelian institutions' functional capacities. Place their militaries'
sanitisation and modernisation at top of the agenda. Through extensive
consultations, bring all Sahelian states and their immediate neighbours on
board about inevitability of mustering collective response to achieve
sustainable peace. Trans-Atlantic community should resort to diplomatic
surge to seek concert within and of all other stake holders from UN
platform. Strategic effort must be supported by strategic consensus. Second
threat-prong aims outwardly at Europe, particularly its coastal states,
Balkans and those located on southern and south-eastern periphery. They need
to up the ante. Thwart arms, human smugglers and drug barons' attempts of
reaping illicit bonanza. Adopt passive measures like enforcing stringent
laws, surveillance, sweep and search at Greece, Turkish, Bulgarian and
Serbian border entry points to deter them.
Establish Sahelian Command Centre (SCC), manned by the constituent states
military experts and UN observers' team, to transmit real time intelligence,
afforded by NATO, US African Command or any of P-5, to the military commands
of the regional states. Enable them to locate, interdict and possibly
destroy the carriers, collaborators or perpetrators of multifaceted
organised crimes. The preparatory effort should be sanctioned by UN for a
decade but subject to evaluation and performance audit every three years.
When the Sahel situation stabilizes, extend SCC role to other African
countries like Nigeria and Algeria to enable their governments to restore
their writs, encouraging them at the same time to address their discordant
root causes.
Concurrently, prompt the states to achieve demonstrable bench marks on way
to democracy that draws succour from absolute justice, free of shackles of
class, creed, culture and faiths. Similar to provisions of accountability of
crime against humanity, evolve a universal set up like ICJ, to deal with
stinking corrupt rulers (Ministers, Prime Ministers and Presidents) anywhere
in the world who remain out of the fragile net of respective states
accountability apparatuses. UN charter should recognize corruption as a
crime against humanity.
Execution Posture, Create and Deploy Military Punch
The preparatory phase is likely to come across some hiccups. SCC would also
become effective gradually after coordinating and planting its tentacles
with militaries of the host states. In the meantime, militaries of the
region could be in reorganisation and restructuring phase. Hence pool up
adequate military capability to assist SCC forthwith until it is capable of
embracing the entire mission of war against rogue gangs with the help of
native militaries.
Constitute a division size force under UN banner, requisitioned from African
as well as Middle Eastern and South Asian countries having proven
professional forces system. Designate it as UN Quick Reaction Force (UNQRF).
Dominate at least three hotspots by virtue of its tactical positioning to
straddle the entire Sahel region. Each segment of UNQRF's conduct of war
effort should mutually reinforce others in impact. Integral mobility would
enable them to react fast and maintain an edge over the militant gangs and
smugglers. Decision, whether UNQRF would need any additional reserve
component, say of brigade size troops, should be made contingent upon the
final assessment of the magnitude of threat. Commanders' preference should
focus on the desirability of creating an integral composite reserve within
each of three battle groups of UNQRF to afford them response flexibility for
unforeseen contingencies.
NATO and US African Command must not commit any ground troops. Instead tasks
like reconnaissance, coastal surveillance, locate and destroy missions by
air combat patrols in support of UNQRF should be assigned to them. For
timely response, the region's air bases and others on the periphery should
facilitate air support missions. Invite other powers like Russia, China,
Egypt, Israel, India, Pakistan, Australia and Indonesia to share the burden
of Atlantic alliance's material resources needed for sustained air
operations. Command responsibility for the conduct of all air operations
must be vested in the component that dominates the entire range of
operations. More likely it would be US African Command. SCC and UNQRF would
be responsible to UN for updating it through independent and exclusive
periodic briefings.
Conclusion
It would take Herculean diplomatic effort to evolve consensus and execute
the proposition but it would be economical, legitimate, non-partisan,
quelling the critics and having silver linings to meet the challenges of
Sahel.
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Received on Wed Mar 06 2013 - 18:31:57 EST
