MAKE A COMMENT FOR AFRICA TODAY: IS THE WAR ON TERROR FOOD FOR AFRICAN DICTATORS? Chads military intervention in Mali in January 2013 when Bamako was threatened by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, enabled president Deby to gain credibility at the international level. In the resulting security partnership with France, Chad is hosting the command centre and the air force of the Barkhane operation for the fight against terrorism in the Sahel region. In Cameroon, the fight against Boko Haram, intensified from May 2014, contributing to the re-legitimisation of President Paul Biya on the international scene; helping him to mount pressure on the opposition and civil society in the country. This is the president who couldnt get a meeting with any Western leader after his election for the 7th time, in 2011. In Equatorial Guinea, president Nguema Basogo runs the nation like his personal dynasty . After 9/11 friendly relations were formed with the US, coinciding with the discovery of lots of oil. Africa analysts like Jeremy Keenan point to evidence suggesting that, from 2003, the Bush administration and Algerian government were responsible for hostage takings blamed on Islamic militants. This created an unquestioning public attitude, allowing the US to establish military bases in the region. But what impact has American and French militarisation had on democratic practice in the Sahel region? This week Africa Today discusses the price Africa continues to pay, asking if the War on Terror is effectively food for dictators. And what can #africans do about it? What do you think?
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 17:16:46 +0000
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