From: mgebreab@earthlink.net
Date: Fri May 29 2009 - 17:57:39 EDT
The African Union: A Discredited Tool
By Staff
May 29, 2009, 15:30
“… It is unfortunate to witness the Organization of African Union (OAU) becoming an inept organization that utterly failed to fulfill the objectives and pledges vested upon it. Indeed, it did not strive to translate into action the lofty goals it was entrusted with. And as a result, 30 years since the founding of the organization, Africa is still suffering from mounting poverty, backwardness and civil strife. It has become a continent despised by all partners instead of one in which nationals lead a life of dignity. Although it is indisputable that there exists the ugly legacy of colonialism, such a reality should nonetheless not make the African people complacent and a cover for our weaknesses. We cannot achieve a better future as long as we fail to critically scrutinize past errors. The OAU did not succeed at all in ensuring unity and development in the continent, as well as in safeguarding the fundamental rights of the African people. … At this juncture, I would like to underscore that Eritrea opted to be
come member of this organization not because it was impressed with the organization’s successes but only out of the spirit of family responsibility...”
The aforementioned salient remarks are excerpts from the speech which H.E. President Isaias Afwerki delivered at the OAU Summit in June 1993 where he participated for the first time in the wake of Eritrea’s accession to sovereign nationhood through legal referendum and becoming member of the organization.
The President’s statement did not only emanate from the OAU’s total neglect of the immense hardship the Eritrean people experienced in the days of the liberation struggle. Although it is a well known fact that the OAU played a sad negative role in the Eritrean issue, its failure and shameful negative role in various issues in the continent is but uncountable.
And now 46 years later, the organization’s long-standing contemptuous status has been further downgraded, and thus changing from a paralyzed and passive body into a cheap and toothless entity. Hence, the OAU did not bring about any meaningful change, and instead it has become a mere agent of executing the wicked designs of intelligence agencies, besides serving as an appendage of external forces. As an international organization, the OAU, instead of serving as a common forum for all, it became a tool for covering up the ugly practices of some parties and one that facilitates the adoption of illegal and shameful statements and resolutions on the part of such parties.
Any person can readily gauge the extent of the failure of the OAU, and presently the AU by simply referring to the objectives enshrined in the organization’s Charter and their implementation. It is to be noted that the major provisions embodied in the organization’s Charter include strengthening the unity of the African people, ensuring economic development through joint cooperation, safeguarding the human rights of Africans, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every member state, seeing to it that colonial boundaries and treaties are respected for the sake of peace and stability, striving to achieve peaceful resolution to conflicts inside and among member states through mediation and arbitration. It is not difficult for anyone to discern the prevailing reality in Africa vis-?-vis the objectives outlined in the organization’s Charter which was adopted about half a century ago.
Let alone ensuring the unity of the entire African continent, the OAU is an organization that commits numerous destructive and shameful mistakes in resolving problems in a specific zone or a given country. Without citing instances, the situation in Somalia is a vivid demonstration of its incompetence and weakness. Contrary to its Charter principles advocating economic development through joint cooperation, Africa is being marginalized in the world economic order and looking for handouts and aid and in which its people are dieing from hunger, poverty and epidemics due to corruption and maladministration. And as such, the fact that the continent ranks the last of the last in every aspect as regards human progress is the unfortunate sum total of the despicable half century journey.
Looking from the standpoint of respect for human rights, Africa is a continent where gross violation of human rights are rampant as witnessed in the horrible genocide in Rwanda and the war crimes committed over the Somali people. Still in other instances, the OAU’s complete silence in the face of its own Eritrean staff being dragged out from its headquarters, thrown to jail and subsequently forcibly deported with their property confiscated by the TPLF regime solely because of their nationality fully attest to the organization’s total discredit and disgrace. Even worse, the OAU’s failure to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states and having served as an instrument for the transgression of the rule of law at cheap ‘incentive’ amply demonstrates that the organization has sold its dignity.
Hence, the irresponsible and illegal resolution recently issued as regards Eritrea by an organization discredited by both the world community and member states represents not only a single error but also a continuation of the endless mistakes and cheap practices it had committed over the past half century simply for the sake of securing a handful of aid. Nevertheless, such acts of slander and defamation on the part of a despised tool cannot at all merit any value.
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