AU’s impotence and the lessons for the EAC

Following news events these days has become such a tough call that sometimes it feels as enigmatic as following a cricket game without knowing the rules. There is (hot) news from Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Japan, Ivory Coast and even India. By the time of writing this, I was still waiting to know who would win the 2011 Cricket World Cup between hosts India and Sri Lanka. I was also waiting to find out whether Laurent Gbagbo was still not interested in accepting the title of former Ivorian president as his rival’s forces were closing in on Abidjan. Meanwhile, the ping pong game of capturing and losing towns between pro-Gadaffi forces and the rebels continues. Closer to home, the story of the Tanzanian herbalist who is attracting thousands of visitors in search of a magic portion got more media attention than 4th ordinary session of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) held here in Kigali. With the events in Libya, it is growing clearer that although Col. Gadaffi has tried to put up a fight, the African Union has been relegated to mere spectators who are not even allowed to occupy the VIP section. It is indeed a pity that the AU has performed worse than the Arab League, NATO, UN, or even USA, France and Britain in their individual capacities. Having changed just in name from the Organisation of African Unity to African Union, this body has failed to shed off its toothless character of a “Dictators Club.” It appears that after achieving its primary goal of being the midwife to Africa’s independence struggles, this body went into an indefinite slumber. When Tunis and Cairo were engulfed in street protests the AU was nowhere to be seen, leave alone being heard. Instead the members sat and elected President Teodoro Obiang Nguema to be its chairperson. For your information this is a man who has ruled Equatorial Guinea since 1979 after a violent coup. Is it not simply annoying that at a time when Egyptians and Tunisians were getting rid of long serving dictators, the AU decided to elect one such person to occupy the top seat? Obiang is carved out of the same wood that made Mubarak, Ben Ali, Gadaffi, Mugabe and Paul Biya. When Ivory Coast became a ‘miracle’ by having two presidents, two armies and a president under house (you can call it hotel) arrest, the AU decided to engage in empty shuttle diplomacy. Now Outtara has realised that the AU will not help him oust the pretender to the throne and has decided to force Gbagbo out of town. There was more drama when it came to Libya where all the three African representatives to the Security Council voted in favour of resolution 1973 calling for a No-Fly Zone and the protection of civilians using ‘all necessary measures” (which is diplomatic wording for force). AU was quick to condemn the attacks. For some reason, the team put it put together to resolve the crisis in Libya had its flight arrangements coinciding with the beginning of the deadly strikes on Benghazi and neighbouring towns. Further talks held in Addis Ababa under the AU auspices did not yield much. The worst sign of AU’s impotence was when over 40 foreign ministers met in Qatar to discuss the future of Libya and no one from Libya or AU was invited! This dismal performance of the AU has led me to think about my pet subject, the East African Community. During his better days, the eccentric Muammar Gadaffi stressed the urgency of forming the United States of Africa, one huge country with a single currency and a single army. Those against the idea like Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni argued that it was better to go slow and instead strengthen regional blocs like the EAC, ECOWAS, SADC etc. So the question is, how strong has the EAC grown and does it have a voice strong enough to ensure that the member countries are more than just mere trading partners? So far, East African leaders have expressed their views on the events in Libya but the EAC as an entity has not developed a common stand on the same. Charity, they say, begins at home. So where is the EAC voice? How come the EAC voice is always absent when there are violent clashes between police and protesters in the region. I simply pray that the EAC grows into something more meaningful than the AU which has moved from being a dictators’ club to an impotent talking shop. EAC needs a strong and internationally respected voice. ssenyonga@gmail.com