Monday,
Tuesday 7, 2014
Folks, the headline is loud and
clear: “Ghana to send peacekeepers to South Sudan”.
Miss
Hannah Tetteh, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, has said that
Ghana will be contributing troops for peacekeeping operations in South Sudan. We
are not yet given specifics.
Miss
Tetteh, who spoke at a public forum in Accra dubbed “Advancing the better Ghana
Agenda: Prospects for 2014” as part of activities marking the first anniversary
of President John Dramani Mahama’s government, said Ghana was committed to the
maintenance of peace in Africa.
Not a good message
to celebrate, at least, for now. And I will bluntly say so: that there is no
justification to rush Ghanaian troops into the situation unfolding in South
Sudan.
There is no peace
in that country to keep. It is a war being fought for political power, which
has already been qualified as nearing a civil war, pitting the South Sudanese
President (Salva Kiir) and his Dinka people against his former Vice (Riek
Machar) and his Nuer tribe.
When there is civil
war anywhere, outside forces risk becoming embroiled in it without the
possibility of solving any problem.
We recognize the importance of
peace on the African continent but want to caution against any rash move to
insert Ghana into needless trouble spots on the continent.
Considering the fact that heavy
fighting is still going on in the country while the negotiation in Ethiopia to
patch up differences have just begun without any clear indication of a
compromise being reached, can we not say that there is no peace to keep in that
country? Why send any outside force there all too soon to be caught up in the
catastrophe?
Of course, a soldier’s duty goes
beyond peacekeeping. Soldiering involves fighting as well—and the troops know
it for a fact that their job is a matter of life-or-death, which they live
with. But if the situation doesn’t call for any life-threatening sacrifice, no
one should tempt Fate.
A glaring fact is that all too
soon, South Sudan has been plunged into this kind of mess—just like all other
hotbeds in Africa or anywhere in the world that Ghana has contributed troops
and police personnel to “keep peace” there.
The country deserves better than
what has unfolded so far. Disappointing, indeed!
The situation there doesn’t
portend peace being made soon. It is a free-for-all situation in which the
various forces pitted against each other are not sure of where they want to
move their own country.
South Sudan is rich in petroleum
resources and can stand on its own feet if its political administration so
desires. But what has erupted, barely 2 years after gaining independence from
Sudan is deplorable.
Sudanese President Al-Bashir has
just concluded talks in Juba with Mr. Kiir—talks centring around protection of
petroleum installations and oil pipelines (through joint patrols by Sudanese
and South Sudanese forces). No talk of Sudan’s intervention to ensure peace in
its neighbor. Not surprising because it was only recently that hostilities
between both seemed to have lulled.
Other countries with huge stakes
in South Sudan (the United States, China, the UK) have evacuated their citizens
from there and not indicated any direct involvement in the fracas going on. All
of a sudden, Ghana has emerged to contribute troops for peace-keeping there!!
Obviously, there are vested
interests in South Sudan. What is Ghana’s interest there, anyway? What is Ghana
interested in securing in South Sudan?
Of course, one may want to say
that Ghana has always played an important role in peacekeeping all over the
world and is well known for it. The Ghanaian military establishment also rakes
in some benefits. Let’s not forget that the UN pays countries that contribute
troops to such missions; but beyond all those considerations rises the
overarching question: Is it Ghana’s duty to be in South Sudan at this time? I
don’t think so.
We note that Ghana has actively
participated in military operations in recent times , including ECOMOG in
Liberia and others in Rwanda, Somalia, Mali, etc.
I am not suggesting that Ghana
should sit down unconcerned for those countries to “burn” but we must at the
same time be cautious how we rush headlong into conflict zones.
The reality of the South Sudanese
situation is that Salva Kirr and his opponents don’t seem to be committed to
building that young country. They appear to be more interested in realizing their
own political ambitions than working together to develop the country and bring
decency to the homes and lives of millions of their compatriots suffering from
excruciating poverty.
Sadly, these were people who had
fought a war of liberation for decades, putting their own lives and those of many
other compatriots on the line.
Colonel John Garang did so but
couldn’t survive to lead the country at independence. Those who took over from
him seemed to have understood the relevance of the liberation struggle but are
at each other’s throat over the spoils of that long-drawn-out struggle for
freedom.
President Kiir has been accused
of making moves to stifle opposition and consolidate his hold on power, which
is likely to turn him into a despot.
The stiff opposition facing him
is born out of that fear and is borne out by the fact that since he dismissed
his entire Cabinet in July last year and did away with Riek Machar, his closest
nemesis, nothing has been done to establish the framework for democracy.
The immediate cause of the
December 15 disturbances in Juba can be traced to the apprehensions that he was
gradually and steadily establishing himself as a despot and needed to be halted
in his stride before he could accomplish his objective.
Indeed, the skirmishes going on
all over the country, especially in the Jonglei and Unity States indicate that
the rebel forces under Mr. Machar are formidable. They have re-taken Bor in
Jonglei State from the government forces and consolidated their hold on other
areas.
Although efforts at negotiation
are ongoing, the reality on the ground indicates that heavy fighting won’t stop
soon. The government forces may have the full backing of the Establishment but
they cannot over-run the rebel forces (made up of thousands of disaffected
professional soldiers defecting from the military and joining disgruntled militiamen
and other pockets of rebel factions all over the country).
From all indications, the
negotiations in Ethiopia won’t lead to any peace soon. And “peace” what will
the troops from other countries be going to Sudan to maintain?
A lesson worth teaching those whose
mishandling of affairs sparks off conflicts is not far off. It takes common
sense to know that no country can develop in the face of war and needless
destruction of limb and property.
Had Ghanaians also chosen the path
of war, could the country have been stable enough to breed troops for
peacekeeping operations anywhere? It’s high time power-hungry elements in
African countries recognized the fact that they would not be allowed to create problems
only for us to be pushed around to solve for them.
It takes level-headedness to rule
a country. Those in charge of affairs need to put the national interest far
above their parochial quests and allow decency to control their mindset and
attitudes.
Those in South Sudan are not
prepared to rule themselves and should be dealt a severe blow. Salva Kiir and
Riek Machar should be sanctioned and made to pay for any damage to country and
people. It’s high time African politicians learnt how to conduct affairs and
not plunge their countries into the catastrophe of the sort that is testing the
resolve of Ghana and other countries being urged to contribute troops for
peacekeeping duties in South Sudan.
All-in-all, though, our
government has to tread cautiously so it doesn’t overdo things.
I shall return…
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E-mail:
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