Slowly there are signs of improvement being made within the vastness of the African continent, but there is always a feeling of one step foreword and then two backward. This last week has seen the applauding of President Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo for visiting, for the first time, the east of his vast country, a country the size of Europe. He was to tell his people of the troubled east that at last the country was united and in peace. As he was speaking to the cheering multitude I was hearing of a revolt in the mineral rich Katanga Province by the ‘Tigers’ who for long now have complained of foreigners taking out the riches of Katanga and their seeing little in return. So here we have that constant worry of the larger African states; whilst one side is brought to some semblance of peace, elsewhere trouble erupts. Of course some of the countries are far too vast for one leadership; a fault made a century ago during the European rush for foreign conquests and now too late to put right.
Yesterday whilst discussing the problems of colonial borders dividing large tribes, with the white race being blamed for all of them as usual, I was told of the African success of uniting Somalia themselves. My guests were full of the jubilant celebrations they had taken part in the day before. They had seen the swearing in of Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, a seventy year-old military man of the sixties, and were convinced that this will be the end of the thirteen years of war. Certainly he is a man of considerable power and well known as being outspoken in the past on behalf of democracy, which caused him to be detained by Siad Barre several times and led to his eventual escape from Somalia into Kenya, something that never stopped him plotting against Siad Barre. At one time he was helped by Ethiopia but, as usual in Africa, the leaders changed their minds and turned against him and imprisoned him: he was not released until the fall of Colonel Mengistu. So we can see that the newly elected leader of Puntland Somalia has enormous experience of subversive plotting and guerilla activity, something that today must be part of learning the way to power. He is remembered for saying: "You are either with me or you are the enemy.” God only knows where that is to get him and Somalia over the coming months. As one of the ‘war lords’ over recent years in Somalia his opponents certainly have been killed, slung into confinement or just vanished. A very tough man indeed he is, called by some another Idi Amin. Earlier this year, whilst being interviewed during Somali reconciliation talks in Kenya by journalist Dahir Abdulle Alasow Dahir, he was asked why earlier during the conference he had referred to incompetence and corruption. The General snapped back: "Somalia does not need clerics with gentle fists; the country needs an accursed person, and I am that accursed person." He has also said: "I will never go to the country called Somalia if I do not have a strong military force.” 

So here we have it again; democracy on trial: a War Lord voted into leadership. And the consequences? Who knows! Elected in a foreign country by some three hundred Somali citizens makes it difficult to see this as a progressive move despite being praised by foreign governments, especially Italy, as a major step forward for democracy in Somalia. The country is saddled with an infamous rule by some 50 known warlords, heavily armed with every type of modern weaponry, who fail to control every type of gangsterism and clan war.

Democracy is hard going in Africa. All seem to want it and certainly we have seen successful democratic elections. Unfortunately once power is gained through universal suffrage it seems that only the gun can remove the democratically elected government. We are now seeing this, and surprisingly, within Uganda where a government that removed a dictator by the gun now wishes to remain in office despite having drawn up a Constitution to rid the country of dictators for ever. President Museveni now insists that there will only be peace with his leadership, despite having been at war for fourteen years, a record for any African country.
Museveni’s hold on power has been greatly assisted by the support of the USA and he should be grateful to America because those early days after the destruction of the infrastructure by dictatorship were extremely difficult. He received financial aid in abundance from the U.S. taxpayer who no doubt had little complaint so long as democracy was restored.
However, the Ugandan leadership now has gone the way of so many others and intends to remain in power despite protests by members of the Ugandan parliament. There have been outbursts, and brave ones as I see it, such as that made by Elijah Okupa MP who said the president is looking for new allies to support his third term because he is getting less support from president George Bush. Morris Ogenga Latigo stood up to say: "Museveni should learn that a one-man decision is dangerous. He may even regret on his decision of kisanja (third term) because it will cause him many problems in future." Simple words of wisdom but dangerous in Africa where men in dark glasses loom in the shadows. Another brave politician last week declared: "Our President is realising now following recent remarks by the German Ambassador, Dr Alexander Muhlen, that Germany would not support any arrangement that will not give opportunity to other parties to rule in 2006." He made this statement in line with other well-meaning Uganda politicians who believe that their president is wrongly turning his back on the United States after years of being their "best friend”. It is not the nature of real Ugandans to desert a friend. Much of the attack came in the president’s major speech to his military officers on the 12th October when he said: "I blindly supported the United States-led invasion of Iraq but I didn’t even know what they were fighting for.” He went on to say: "The strategic errors made by the Americans in Iraq have forced me to regret why I supported the coalition forces.” He cited the US decision to appoint Paul Bremer as governor in Iraq and demobilization of one million Iraqi soldiers as two of the American strategic errors. He has stated frequently that the Americans should listen to him on the military science of guerilla war and such claims to military wisdom might please his soldiers but are treated as unfriendly and nonsense when addressed to his parliament. Instead of seeking better ways to stop the continuous war in Northern Uganda with its over a million refugees from conflicts in the bush and improve a failing economy, Museveni has not flinched from attacks from his parliament but has infuriated its members by what they consider to be unnecessary war talk. Published under the heading: ‘African armies at the mercy of superpowers’ he said: "African armies risk attack from Western forces if they continued to buy second-hand weapons whose technology has been discarded.” He elaborated with: " the best way to have world peace is to balance war interests because the technology of weapons is a decisive element in war and people's destiny. Armies that lag behind in technology remain at the mercy of super powers." Ugandans see this as a hint that their President is to spend even more on military hardware and is snubbing American diplomatic complaints that too much has been spent on war equipment, which incidentally is mostly junk. Most, however, are saying that President Museveni has become increasingly critical of the United States of America because it is strongly opposed to the third term of office he is demanding for himself and to the drawing up of yet another Constitution.
It is all a great shame. This was a president within Africa who gave hope of demonstrating in his country that African democracy could be as good as that of Europe. Alas, once again we see the truth of the 19th century comment: "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
Bob Astles

Global Affairs Forum