“Fatshimetrie: A Critical Look at African Leadership at International Summits”
The awakening of consciences is underway among the various peoples of the world. While some regions are refining their strategic plans and readjusting their strategies, others are facing conflicts on their territory’s doorsteps. The Middle East is in full swing, facing growing tensions that could degenerate into war. The Americans, for their part, are eager to see their November elections pass as quickly as possible to focus on their global domination, whatever the outcome of the ballot boxes.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the European cousins are also busy preserving their domination, while looking for solutions to manage their dominant cousin to the North. Some wonder: shouldn’t they abandon this losing war in Ukraine, just as Benjamin Netanyahu abandoned the Israeli hostages in Gaza, leaving President Zelensky to make a fool of himself by touting his stupid “Victory Plan” around the world?
In the meantime, Russia and China remain focused on their objectives, while South America and the Caribbean join forces to find solutions to their problems.
All these major geopolitical groups are in full strategy, except Africa, weighed down by an African Union (AU) with limited prospects and a Commission led by a Moussa Faki Muhammad subject to the whims of a hesitant France. While the rest of the world prepares for a possible international conflagration, African leaders are content to jump from one foreign capital to another to participate in “summits”.
When African leaders fly to Washington for a US-Africa summit, Beijing for the China-Africa FOCAC, Tokyo for the Japan-Africa TICAD, Moscow for the Russia-Africa summit, Istanbul for the Turkey-Africa summit, Seoul for the South Korea-Africa summit, Brussels for the EU-Africa “Partnership,” or are summoned by a bewildered Ukrainian president for a Ukraine-Africa summit, how can they possibly find time to govern? Do they not incur exorbitant travel costs, accompanied by a cohort of officials whose taxpayers pay for them?
The 55 African countries act like herds of cattle herded by a foreign shepherd or his child armed with a stick. As we await the next summit of African leaders, perhaps hosted by Kosovo, it is time to reflect. Why can’t African leaders come to a common position at these endless summits instead of allowing the host to drag individual African leaders into a separate room for so-called “bilateral talks”?
Africa suffers from a fundamental leadership deficit, which does not necessarily require a position in the AU to be exercised. A particularly turbulent period for Africa was in 1975-76, when the United States forced African countries to choose between the two puppets it had placed in Angola rather than let the pro-people MPLA rule the country. Faced with this blackmail, African states united to support the MPLA, despite the intervention of a coalition of the FNLA, UNITA, American mercenaries and the armed forces of apartheid South Africa.
Faced with African resistance, the then US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, had to travel across Africa to urge the countries of the continent not to recognize the MPLA government. It was then that, at the OAU summit (which has since become the AU) on January 11, 1976 in Addis Ababa, General Murtala Muhammed, then head of state of Nigeria, stood up to denounce such pressure. He declared that: “Africa has come of age. It is no longer under the tutelage of any foreign power. It should no longer take orders from any country, however powerful.”
Nigeria, which held no position in the continental organization at that time, was able to embody strong and independent leadership, thus influencing the outcome of the Angolan crisis in favor of the MPLA.
Today, 48 years later, Africa needs to stand up again to guide the continent out of the rut. It is essential that African countries take a clear position on the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ordering European countries to stop plundering Western Sahara’s resources. It is time to remind our European partners to respect the judgments of their own court.
Africa must first and foremost overcome its lack of leadership and it is not necessary to hold an official position within the AU to assume this role. It is time for the continent to rise up to defend its interests, refusing to repeat the mistakes of the past where the great powers dictated their law. It is time for Africa to stand up proudly and demand respect, fairness and justice on the international stage.