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I’ve been following with keen interest; the revolutions that took place in Tunisia a couple of weeks ago and the very one happening in Egypt right now. I believe the citizens of those countries can’t take the oppression from their dictators any longer and are pressing for CHANGE.
Change they say; is always good for a positive cause. The American people called for CHANGE via US Pres. Obama and it was delivered on a “democratic†platter. Why can’t the same form of CHANGE be delivered to the good people of Egypt and the rest of the Arab countries calling for an end the dictatorships and oppressions?
On my time-line via Twitter over the weekend; @Bokuka re-tweeted @BBCAfricaHYS: Mugabe named as member of Ivory Coast mediator group.
Instantly, I become very angry and annoyed at the decision of the African Union in appointing a dictator to mediate in the on-goings in Ivory Coast. Has the African Union become that much of a group of bad jokes? What do the AU understands by mediation? Maybe, they need some clarifications/explanations.
According to Wikipedia:
Mediation; is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), which also is a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement (facilitative mediation). In some cases, mediators may express a view on what might be a fair or reasonable settlement, generally where all the parties agree that the mediator may do so (evaluative mediation).
So, why are they appointing Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe who’s been in power for the past 31-years as the mediator in the Ivory Coast negotiations?
A report indicates that;
The African Union decided to appoint Mugabe and a panel of leaders to join Kenya’s Prime Minister Raila Odinga in the Ivory Coast crisis.
The panel includes Presidents Jacob Zuma (South Africa), Jonathan Goodluck (Nigeria), Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe) and the President of Mauritania among others and Mr. Jean Ping said the mediation already undertaken by Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga was part of the building stones towards achieving a realizable goal of peace in Ivory Coast.
Just when I was about to go all hard on this issue this morning; Reuters Africa reports that;
Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe isn’t part of mediators for the Ivory Coast crisis negotiations. The lists of Presidents include: South Africa’s Jacob Zuma; Chad’s Idriss Déby, Burkina Faso’s Blaise Compaoré; Tanzania’s Jakaya Kikwete & Mauritania’s Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.
When the following names: Muammar al-Gaddafi (42yrs in power), Robert Mugabe (31-yrs), José Eduardo dos Santos (32-yrs), Paul Biya (29-yrs), Omar al Bashir (22-yrs) and Hosni Mubarak (30-yrs) are mentioned in any domain; one word only comes to mind: DICTATORS.
I would never side with anyone who doesn’t respect the basic Human Rights of any group of people at any time because; “The spirit of democracy is not a mechanical thing to be adjusted by abolition of forms. It requires change of heart.” – Mahatma Ghandi.
A friend asked:
What’s the difference between Hosni Mubarak and Robert Mugabe ?
Answer:
They are all over 80-years old, been in power for over 30-years and very good dictators.
What are your opinions regarding the current revolutions in Egypt and the rest of the Arab World? Where do you stand on the Ivory Coast crisis? Do you think, the chosen African Heads of State will bring peace at the end of it all? Which country is next to see a revolution soon after Egypt? Would it be Zimbabwe, Cameroon or Libya?
Related articles
- African Union in new move to end Ivory Coast crisis (reuters.com)
- Ivory Coast: AU panel of leaders to seek way forward – BBC News (news.google.com)
- African Union May Agree to Loosen Gbagbo’s Grip on Ivory Coast (businessweek.com)
