The 26th African Union Summit kicked off on Saturday 30th January 2016 in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa under the banner of “Year of Human Rights”. Top topics of discussion in meeting are issues of governance, elections and commitment to the constitutional principles. Also high on the agenda, is financial support of the AU. These issues will precede other issues of peace and security on the continent as well as ways to strengthen Regional cooperation on the fight against terrorism. The irony of this year’s summit is its banner of human rights, yet is hosted by country that has been on spot over its human rights violation.
Having a brief glance at the topics of discussion in the meeting, we will realize that the topics have been chosen for the purpose of keeping Africa under secular liberal democracy. Unfortunately the gathering has not debated the real cause of pressing problems facing the black continent starting with bad governance, poverty and elections related chaos. High rate of impunity amongst the African leaders, violation of their secular constitutions as well as escalated alarming rate of human rights violation are becoming a norm in Africa countries. The attendants will not mention that it is their adoption of capitalism that keeps ruining Africa. Each year the AU Summits bring together stakeholders to discuss the emerging and pressing issues that Africa undergoes. They end up with empty promises of hope for Africa and the ‘business will be as usual’.
The summit is taking place while we witness killings in Burundi over the disputed last elections. South Sudan a youngest nation is engulfed with war and hunger. The Western Sahara issue of the self-determination has been on the table. The chairperson of the African Union Commission Nkosasan Dlamini Zuma reminded the attendants of the pledge to end the wars on the continent by 2020. All these suggest that the summit will have an effect on Africa i.e. come up with ‘solutions’. However, the question to pause: Under whose interests the solutions to these souring situations will be met? The answer is: definitely, under the western powers US and Europe who still keep Africa under their grip.
AU was set up in 2001 and until now the 54 member states of the union are yet to meet its ‘objectives’ of promoting integrity, ending conflicts and suffering of women and children. Since its inception in 2001 now Africa has seen itself plunging into more economic, political and social degradation. Failure to address these issues is a proof that AU is not meant to improve the situation of Africa.
The West is using AU in pushing their evil colonial schemes in many parts of the continent. AU forces are deployed in many parts of Africa such as Darfur and Somalia to enhance the Western projects that keep Africa suffering. We point out that AU is an umbrella of the west that still scrambles for Africa. It is ironical that the Western powers US and Europe created AU while it is their struggle over Africa turning to be seen a chaotic continent.
This summit has come up with one of dangerous plot against the Muslims of Africa who make 52% of its population. This is the only issue the stakeholders of the summit will implement it effectively. The Western powers who are fighting Islam under the guise of war on terror have kept emphasizing that terrorism is a threat to the whole world including Africa. Thus AU like any other regional bodies in the world has been tasked by the West to wage war on Islam. We will see the African governments stepping up the ‘war on terror’ against its own people.
To conclude we say AU members only discuss the symptoms of neo-colonialism in Africa not the root cause of the problems of Africa which is its adoption of the Capitalism. Secularism and Democracy have turned Africa into more chaotic continent. So the AU Summit is just attempt to cover up the shame of corrupt capitalism in Africa.
Shabani Mwalimu
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in East Africa
Written for Ar-Rayah Newspaper – Issue 63