The late President of Libya Colonel Muammar Gadaffi who was killed violently in his home town of Sirte when the National Transitional Council forces stormed his hideout early today (courtesy of photoblog.msn.com)
The airwaves are awash with the news of Libyan President Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s death. President Barack of Obama of USA captured the thinking of many in his reaction to the death by saying “the rule of iron fist has come to an end”.
This is a sad ending to the death of an African leader. It does not matter what kind of leadership he offered to the people of Libya. What is sad is the way he died, in violent circumstances, probably under a hail of bullets. Did his life have to end this way?
Gadaffi’s death is an indictment of African leadership. Gadaffi’s death just reminds us of what happened in Cote d’Ivoire early this year. Just like Gadaffi, he had to be arrested after being forced out of leadership, after an election dispute in the country’s presidential elections. What has happened in Libya is not good for Africa because it does not augur well for democracy. Gadaffi has been in leadership since 1969. This is close to 42 years of uninterrupted hold onto power. Most Libyans were born and have grown up not having known any other leader other than Gadaffi.
Some people have said that there was no need for a change of leadership in Libya as long as Gadaffi gave the people what they wanted. They have pointed out that the standards of life in the country were higher than in many other third world countries. This could be true but there is the other side of the argument that he was also a dictator who did not brook any opposition. It is a well known fact that after being in power for a long time, human beings are more likely to become complacent and cease to be productive. I think this was a reality in Libya and that is why some felt that he had to go.
Right now, I am sure that we have many people in different parts of Africa who are genuinely mourning the death of Gadaffi. He was the main architect of the idea of a United States of Africa. There are many in Africa who feel that Gadaffi’s idea of a united Africa was timely. In Kenya for instance, we have the House of Traditional Elders of Kenya, a group of elders from different tribes who were very close to the late Libyan leader. Up until last month, they were pledging their support for the Libyan leader in the face of fierce onslaught from the National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters. They were of the opinion that what was happening was the work of Westerners who were not amused by the ‘brilliant’ idea of Africa becoming one nation or something close to that.
But I am sad that Gadaffi has died without being made to account for his leadership for the last 40 years. The International Criminal Court Prosecutor in the Hague Moreno Ocampo had already indicated his intention to bring charges against Gadaffi and his accomplices for crimes against humanity. I think the NTC leadership should have made every effort to apprehend Gadaffi and make him answer for his purported misdeeds. At least even a person accused of crime has to be given an opportunity to explain himself. It is sad that the world will not be able to know what informed Gadaffi’s way of doing things.
President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemeni who has been in power for 33 years. He is under pressure to relinquish power from the opposition in his country (courtesy of photoblog.msnbc.com)
Right now, the other leader who ought to be concerned about the violent turn of events in Libya is the Yemeni President Ali Abdulla Saleh who has repeatedly promised to step down from power without fulfilling his word. He has been in power for the last 33 years. Ever since the Arab uprising caught up with him, he has defied all odds to stay on. I hope the events in Libya will not embolden the opposition in his country to take the same violent route like Libya. But for how long will he hold on?
If you care about the continent of Africa, you should be worried about the events that have happened in Libya. What is going to become of the country now that the man who has been in power for all these years is no longer there? Another cause for worry is the fact that many of the leaders of the NTC are outsiders who have no experience in government affairs. Will they be able to provide the needed leadership and bring both political and economic stability in that country? In this regard, support from the NATO alliance and the US alone will not be enough.
Now that Gadaffi is out of the way, what is going to become of his loyalists, those who have stood by him from the time the insurgency against his leadership began? As far as last week, forces loyal to Gadaffi were putting up a fight against the NTC. Will they give up the fight?
Finally, this is a warning to world leaders and those in Africa in particular who have a penchant for clinging on to power even when their sell-by-date is over. I hope Yoweri Museveni in Uganda is taking note!
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