What is the African Union for?

I'd love to carry an African passport.

The best route to economic development is the establishment of a common market of all 53 regions in Africa. It's best that all African territories have a common language to eliminate neo colonial influences.

I would suggest Arabic or Swahili.

Africa's various despots would hate this as their greed and kleptomania would be curbed.


When Gadaffi suggested this, I thought it was a good idea, though I wasn't too keen on his idea of it being his personal fiefdom.

But the African Union exists and should be more than a talking shop for geriatric, empty headed despots.

Which is why I'm extremely embarrassed by the Africa Union's response to the Libyan crisis. When Gaddafi started to shoot and bomb Libyans en masse, the only sound to be heard from the African Union were the loud snores of inaction.

Knowing that Gaddafi is keener on Africa than the Middle East & Arab League, the AU should have sent people to speak to him and resolve the crisis and arrange a dignified handover and elections, very much like in post revolutionary Egypt.

Now the West has done what it does best, foment chaos in Africa to enable long term occupation (the initial invasion of western powers in Africa 500 years ago was, incidentally,  to save the natives from effects of inter-tribal warfare). Many centuries and slavery and colonisation later, Africans are yet to rid themselves of the cancer of imperialism.

Gaddafi's insanity is now being used as an excuse for the second wave of invasion of all of Africa. Those who think that Libya is far away and doesn't affect us should remember that only Niger, Boukina Faso and Mauritania separate us from Libya.  And deep in the waffle from imperialists is the mention of dealing with those countries that supply the mercenaries to our favourite neighbourhood lunatic. Blithely forgetting that mercenaries work on their own for money, not on behalf of governments.

The AU has said nothing about the first invasion of African soil by Europeans since the end of the slave trade and colonial wars. And in fact, two of its members, Nigeria and Gabon voted for this most open ended and (deliberately) vague UN resolution that could be used to achieve anything.  The African Union members' votes were probably achieved via the appropriate bungs, at least in Nigeria's case.

Those who think that the West was acting charitably should ask why there's no UN resolution on and an invasion of Ivory Coast, where worse is happening, and France has a special historical interest.

Before the west chose to be the opportunist invaders of Africa, the people of Benghazi were heroes, they would have got rid of Gaddafi. It might have taken a few more months, but it would have happened. Many residents of Tripoli who supported them but were too scared to speak would have been liberated. The majority of Libyans who just want a quiet life and are not involved one way or another would have carried on having a quiet life.

Instead, we would have a replay of Iraq (anyone wonder why these crazy westerners invaded Libya on the exact 8th anniversary of the shock & awe bombing of Iraq). If Britain, America & France were ruled by rational beings, the date 19th March should have made them think twice.  We would end up with a chaotic mess in Libya, al-Quaeda would most likely come in, and the people of Benghazi would be hurt even more. Because we would end up having civillian casualties in Benghazi and elsewhere and horror of horrors, Gaddafi would most likely stay in place.  We can only guess what horrors await the people of eastern Libya when the invaders get bored and decide that they're better off dealing with Gaddafi for cheap oil anyway.

If the AU were of any use, these are the sorts of arguments it should marshall to the West, on behalf of the people of Libya who identify with Africans more than Arabs. Instead all African leaders have shown themselves to be a bunch of greedy clowns who are only interested in staying in post, oppressing their own people and piggishly gorging themselves fat on the backs of their own people - the original parasites.