Tribute to Atta-Mills: RIP Asumdwoehene

WHEN I think of Ghana the first things that usually come to my mind are Kwameh Nkrumah, kente cloth, kenke    (I prefer Ga kenke). I would have loved to talk about why I love the three above-mentioned but today  "all eyes are on Ghana" not for its rich culture and place in history and in the world today but because it is laying  to rest Professor John Evans Atta-Mills, its 3^rd President under the IV Republic and 13^th leader since independence (1957). Mills had died on 24^th July 2012.

Like everyone else, I was shocked to hear his demise. Although death is the unavoidable end for humans, it always catches us unexpectedly.

The long line of Ghanaians queuing past his remains, messages on social media, RIP t-shirts printed for the occasion, people dressed in black and red to bid their leader farewell tell a lot about the respect they had for the man who was widely regarded as the prince of peace "Asumdwoehene".

I have noticed in the past that losing a sitting head of State always brings a nation together in mourning whatever each and everyone thought of him. Africans unite mostly in sadness.

I didn’t personally know Mills, but one think I will always remember him for is his soft-spokeness, very poised and above all his determination never giving up on his dream of becoming head of state, losing two bids for the highest position in 2000 and 2004.

I didn't say a word about Mills on this blog until this morning when I noticed in a story a statement Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan made when talking to the media at the Kotoka airport on Thursday after his arrival for the funeral.

Jonathan said: “The past four to five years had been very bad for Africa in terms of the death of sitting presidents”. It got me thinking as i wanted to tweet something about it.

I thought a determining factor had to come in, like a milestone in Africa which all countries share despite all our differeces. Bringing up the African Union when all eyes are on Ghana seems normal considering the role Osagyefo (Redeemer) Kwameh Nkrumah played in establishing the Organization of African Unity (OAU) .

2002 is the year in which the Organization of the African Unity (OAU) metamophosed into the African Union (AU). This date is supposed to be the begining of the African renaissance towards unity as basically, all African countries agree on the need for the continent to unite. How and when that UNITY will happen is another story.

I thought to myself stopping at just this statement will be an excercise in self-censorship, “restrictive” in a way. Ghanians are not the only people that have mourned their leader recently.

 

And for me, recalling the leaders that died these past years was a way of telling Ghana, a country i love so much: "You are not alone, Our hearts are with you. We know what it is we've been through such a tragedy in the past".

My first tweet was the following, calling for inputs from my followers.

After receiving lost of feedback. This is the list of African leaders that died since Organization of the African Unity (OAU) became the African Union in 2002.

Togo's Eyadema Gnassingbe 5th February 2005

Zambia’s Levy Patrick Mwanawasa 19th August 2008

Guinea’s Lansana Conte 22nd December 2008

Gabon's Omar Bongo Odimba 8th June 2009

Guinea Bissau's Joao Bernado Nino Vieira 2nd March 2009, assassinated

Nigeria's Umaru Yar’Adua 5th May 2010

Libya's Muammar Khadaffi 20 October 2011, executed (some doubt he could still be considered President when he died)

Guinea Bissau, Malan Bacai Sanha 9th January 2012

Malawi’s Bingu wa Mutharika 6th April 2012

Ghana's John Evans Atta-Mills 24th July 2012

The link with the OAU/AU is a shoutout to the father of Ghana's independence Nkrumah who strongly believed in African Unity.

Ghana was 1^stsub-Saharan African countries to attain independence from European colons and it played a major role in helping other sister African countries attain independence.

This  my token to the sad moment  which concerns not only Ghana and its people but all Africans considering Ghana’s role throughout history from the Ghana Empire to Independence in Africa to becoming one of very few beacons of Democracy on the continent.

US encourages Mali transition but…  

                          

The United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on a whistle stop tour of African countries has enjoined stakeholders to break new grounds and resolve the protracted crisis in Mali to improve the momentum of the transition process.

Speaking in the Senegalese capital Dakar on Wednesday, Mrs. Clinton whose tour will take her South Sudan, Uganda, South Africa and probably Ghana warned that her country “will not resume assistance to certain countries until military governments there cede power to civilian administrations".

She urged Malians to work concertedly together for a successful political transition that would culminate in April 2013 and admonished stakeholders to reject violent extremism and unite to deal with insurgents who had undermined the country’s territorial integrity.

“Mali until the developments of months ago was on the right path. The international community should continue to play its role to help the country overcome its challenges” she remarked.

Mrs. Clinton also said that it was time that African governments treated their people with dignity, insisting that democracy and development should develop African models of partnership by building transitional and not transactional relations based on respect for human rights to add value to partners and people.

According to her, people in the United States have been asking questions about the administration's concern with democracy elsewhere in the world while it has enough to deal with at home.

Clinton said "this is not altruism but strategic interest. Strong stable partners are in the interest of the United States".

She also spoke of “a new kind of partnership with Senegal and Africa as a whole adding that the US believes in the potency of the Senegalese and African youths to change the course of their own history for the better.

She praised Senegalese youths for standing up for democracy and their country’s constitution in the run- up to the poll and in the aftermath of the elections which culminated in the peaceful handover of power.

"Talent is universal, opportunity is not and the US wants to advance the aspirations of the African youth in line with our shared values. It is a mutual mission, a race between hope and fear, potential realized and despair. But there is an unlimited future for those ready to work together" she remarked.

First published on 1August 2012 on apanews.net

Clinton issues Bissau drug-trafficking warning 

                          

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has blamed greed and corruption for the increase in drug trafficking in Guinea Bissau and warned that the country could become fully dependent on the cocaine trade with Latin American countries.

Mrs Clinton, who was in Senegal at the start of her whistle-stop tour of seven African countries on Tuesday, told an audience at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar on Wednesday that Guinea Bissau’s involvement on the trafficking of cocaine was set to grow unless neighbouring countries and the international community act in concert to prevent this.

Clinton’s warning comes days after the UN Security Council drew attention to what it called a steep rise in drug trafficking in Guinea- since the military coup in April.

The UNSC said on Tuesday after meeting in New York that the West African country was strengthening its notoriety as a major hub for drug smuggling to Europe especially after the takeover amidst preparation for second round of elections three months ago.

The meeting ended with a statement not only condemning the interference of the Guinea Bissau military in politics but raising concern over reports suggesting an increase in drug trafficking since the April 12 coup.

The UN said it was on the verge of convening an international summit to find a lasting solution to the political and social crisis in Guinea Bissau.

Meanwhile, Guinea Bissau Justice minister Mamadou Saido Balde refuted any interference of the military in the country’s political life and their involvement in drug trafficking, denouncing the UN document, questioning the reliability of UN sources.

In recent years the country has been used a launching pad for drug-related gang activities linking Latin America and Europe with the alleged encouragement of top army officers some of whom are under sanctions by the UN following the April coup.

The United States had accused several high ranking military officers in the Guinea Bissau army of involvement in drug trafficking, an allegation they did not deny in 2010. The US had named former navy chief Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto as one of the lynchpins of the Bissau drug cartel.

Guinea-Bissau has been rocked by coups and other forms of political instability since independence from Portugal in 1974.

With the intervention of the regional grouping Ecowas, the new military regime has committed itself to a transition process which would culminate in elections and a return to democratic rule.

Presidential elections were supposed to be held to replace Malam Becai Sahna who died in February.

First published on 1August2012 on apanews.net

US promises Senegal support over Casamance debacle  

             
         

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has pledged United States support for efforts to end three decades of separatist conflict in the southern Senegalese province of Casamance.

Mrs Clinton, who was in Senegal at the start of her whistle-stop tour of seven African countries on Tuesday, told an audience at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar on Wednesday that it was time peace returned to the province if its people are to benefit from the development drive by the new government of President Macky Sall.

Mrs Clinton described President Sall’s reforms in the name of transparency, accountability, and an independent judiciary as unprecedented and pledged US commitment to helping the new regime fulfil its pledge to improving the lives of people caught up in the decades-long crisis in Casamance.

Referring to the recent peaceful transfer of power in Senegal after sitting President Abdoulaye Wade lost in the presidential runoff in March, Mrs Clinton said she was confident that the country’s youths would continue to serve as a beacon of hope to the rest of the continent about improving democracy and the culture of human rights.

The Secretary of State also commended the fact that the Senegalese elected 65 women into the National Assembly for the first time in history.

She hailed US relations with Senegal and said the strength of democratic institutions in the West African country was a testimony to the maturity of the Senegalese people.

Clinton also praised regional efforts to coordinate joint responses to piracy, small arms circulation, cross-border crimes, extremism. She extolled a joint US and Senegal campaign against terrorism and other regional threats to peace and security throughout the region.

On the stalemate over the trial of former Chadian President Hissene Habre, the US official said her country was committed “in every way to help with the prosecution of the former leader”.

On the African Union, Clinton welcomed the leadership by the continental body in the promotion of peace and security. She said the AU had sent an unequivocal message after its suspension of Madagascar, Mali, and Guinea Bissau following coups in those countries.

She joined calls for the restoration of constitutional order in those countries and commended the West Africa regional grouping ECOWAS for assuming a leadership role in responding to crises, ranging from the Ivorian crisis to more recent ones in Mali and Guinea Bissau.

Clinton commended democracy restoration in Guinea, Niger, but also good governance in Tanzania and Cape Verde among others.

On Ghana, Clinton said while the world was mourning the loss of President John Evans Atta-Mills she also commended the maturity of Ghanaians for the smooth transfer of power to the Vice President John Mahama.

After Senegal, Clinton is scheduled to visit South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa and Ghana between 31 July and 10 August, sources told APA.

First published on 1August2012 on apanews.net

Clinton restates US commitment to Africa 



Hillary Clinton



                          

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was in Senegal at the start of her whistle-stop tour of seven African countries on Tuesday, has reiterated her country’s commitment to literally improving sustainable partnerships with the continent.

Mrs Clinton was speaking to an audience of over 1000 people from different walks of life at an auditorium in Dakar’s Cheikh Anta Diop University on Wednesday.

According to the US official, her Africa tour will be focusing on the crux of the Obama administration's core commitment to the continent, encapsulated in its 2012 Africa policy which involves strengthening democratic institutions, stimulating economic growth, facilitating exchanges and investments, bolstering peace and security and promoting opportunities for development.

She said "building sustainable partnerships" with African states was an imperative if the United States strategy for sub-Saharan Africa was to realise what she called these interdependent pillars.

Mrs. Clinton insisted on a sustained partnership that adds value to the US-Africa relations instead of assuming a one-sided approach which would leave her country determining what was required for countries on the continent.

“The US is determined to work with countries and essentially listen and learn about the peculiar needs of those African countries with a view to producing the desired results together” she remarked.

According to her what Africa needs was partnership not patronage, she reemphasised, pointing out in the same breath that “sustainable development hinges on political leaders making informed choices to fight corruption, create jobs, prioritise investment in health and education, introduce a fair tax system and transparent budgeting”.

She insisted on the necessity of the US’s enduring efforts to encourage democracy and human rights reforms in African countries.

“There cannot be effective economic liberalisation when there is no political liberalisation with democracy as the key building block to realise economic growth” she warned.

The US Secretary of State, encouraged business concerns in her country to venture in Africa and invest, given that seven out of the ten fastest growing economies of the world are found on the continent.

She said the Obama administration will ensure the idea of a resurgent Africa brimming with economic opportunities gain wide currency across the United States.

According to Mrs. Clinton economic growth should be translated into widespread prosperity and avert a situation where resources are embezzled by a small clique.

She also encouraged greater regional economic integration between Africa, Latin America and Asia given that growth was bound to be faster in the event of intra-Africa trade.

“If you look at barriers to growth in Africa many of them are barriers that exist between and among neighbours,” she said adding that if countries and regions in Africa traded among themselves, growth will be even faster with mineral and energy resources contributing to improving the lives of local populations.

After Senegal, Clinton is scheduled to visit South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, and South Africa and Ghana between 31 July and 10 August, sources told APA.              

First published on 1August 2012 on apanews.net

AFRICOM has no plans of establishing a military base in Mali-General Ham



General Carter Ham

   

The commander of the Germany-based United States Command for Africa (AFRICOM), General Carter Ham, said on Thursday in Dakar, the Senegalese capital, that AFRICOM is not considering establishing a US military base in Mali in the short or long term.

Ham was responding to a question on whether an international military intervention in northern Mali can lead in the long run to the establishment of a US military base.

He insisted that the role of any possible international force in Mali is for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to determine, noting that ECOWAS was currently working/discussing the role of the possible force.

Asked whether US “reserve” on sending troops in Africa is due to what they experienced during their intervention in Somalia (1992-1994), Ham replied that they prefer “a very small” US military presence to back efforts of African countries.

“We do have US military personnel in many places in Africa involved in training and exercise roles but also cooperation. What we believe is that in most cases, the US military presence should be very small and it should always be in support of larger African efforts,” he said.

On AFRICOM’s surveillance of northern Mali, the General said today AFRICOM has very little ability to observe events in Mali apart from reports from the media and Mali’s neighbouring countries.

“Previously, we had a small number of US personnel to train Malian forces which gave us some insight... Most of our understanding of what is happening in northern Mali come from the news reports, and certainly we work with neighbouring countries and other partners to combine our efforts to better understand the situation in the north,” he said.

On the Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQMI), the AFRICOM chief said the international community and the government of Mali “missed an opportunity to deal with AQMI when it was weak” these past years.

“AQMI gained strength, money through kidnapping ransoms. The availability of weapons and fighters from Libya made them a stronger organization. We believe AQMI is the best funded of all Al-Qaeda affiliated groups,” he said.

General Carter Ham said the present situation was much more difficult and “would take greater efforts by the international community and certainly by a new Malian government” to address.

Answering another question on the US government’s plan to send 3000 troops to Africa in 2013, he said the troops will not be sent at once.

He explained that the US army assigned a brigade-size formation (about 3000 troops) that will be available for training and exercises in Africa over the course of about one-year.

Small elements of that brigade will be used for relatively short periods throughout the course of that year.

"For example we will have a small team of logistics experts; and in another country have some infantry training; and in another some engineering training occurring at the same time,” he said.

General Ham said the advantage for the US will be the “predictability in planning military to military engagements that previously the availability of forces was not what we would like it to be” because of the country's "heavy commitment" in Afghanistan.

The AFRICOM commander is in Senegal after visiting Guinea and Cape Verde within the framework of a tour to exchange with military partners and discuss coordinating their joint activities.

It could be recalled that Mali has been destabilised by secession in the north and a coup d'etat in Bamako (south) which toppled former head of state Amadou Toumani Toure on 22 March.

ECOWAS has been trying to find a solution to the crises. It recently set a 31 July-deadline for all stakeholders in Mali, i.e. political and civil society organisations, to form a government of national union in a bid to replace the current transition government headed by Cheikh Modibo Diarra.

Separatist Tuareg rebels of the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad (MNLA) fought along various radical Islamist groups to secede from the rest of the country on 6th April.

The MNLA has since lost control of the north to the Islamists groups of Ansar Dine, AQMI and the Movement for the Unicity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJOA) which are implementing strict Islamic law (Sharia) in the region while the transition in Bamako is yet to run smoothly due to several political bickering going on.

First published on 26July2012 on apanews.net

ECOWAS is right body to address crisis in north Mali, says AFRICOM chief



General Carter Ham

       

“It is my opinion that the presence of US troops in Mali will create more difficulties than it will contribute in a positive way. So the US will look to ECOWAS for ideas on how we can contribute in ways other than military presence,” he said.

According to Ham, the US has been diplomatically supporting ECOWAS efforts on Mali, and “would consider a request for logistical assistance and matters such as that”.

Ham insisted that the first step in addressing the crisis in Mali is to establish a legitimate government in Bamako with whom ECOWAS and other countries and organizations could work.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is the right organisation to address the crisis in northern Mali which has to begin with the establishment of a legitimate government in Bamako the capital, General Carter Ham, commander of the Germany-based United States Command for Africa (AFRICOM), said on Thursday in Dakar, during a round table with major media organisations based in Senegal.

Emphasising on the role the sub-regional bloc has to play in the Mali crises, Ham said “we strongly believe this is a matter for ECOWAS and we are ready to help.”

Responding to a question on whether the US was planning a military intervention in Mali considering that ECOWAS has asked for United Nations Security Council’s backing for such an intervention to reclaim the north, Ham said the “United States is supportive of ECOWAS efforts to re-establish stability in northern Mali which does not mean US will deploy troops”.

The AFRICOM commander is in Senegal after visiting Guinea and Cape Verde within the framework of a tour to exchange with military partners and discuss coordinating their joint activities.

It could be recalled that Mali has been destabilised by secession in the north and a coup d'etat in Bamako (south) which toppled former head of state Amadou Toumani Toure on 22 March.

ECOWAS has been trying to find a solution to the crises. It recently set a 31 July-deadline for all stakeholders in Mali, i.e. political and civil society organisations, to form a government of national union in a bid to replace the current transition government headed by Sheikh Modibo Diarra.

Separatist Tuareg rebels of the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad (MNLA) fought along various radical Islamist groups to secede from the rest of the country on 6th April.

The MNLA has since lost control of the north to the Islamist groups of Ansar Dine, Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQMI) and the Movement for the Unicity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJOA), which are implementing strict Islamic law (Sharia) in the region while the transition in Bamako is yet to run smoothly due to the several political bickering going on.

First posted on 26July 2012 in apanews.net