Skip to main content

AU HYPOCRISY A SHAME TO THE CONTINENT, A DISGRACE TO CITIZENS:

The latest meeting of the African Union ended amid growing concern over genocide in the making in Burundi. Despite the clear danger facing the people of Burundi who have been left on their own to face a murderous regime, and with Africans all over the continent crying for salvation from political inequity, reversal of democracy and State-sponsored violence, the AU Summit concentrated its energies on how to pull Africa out of the International Criminal Court, which is currently the only mechanism for assuring the common Africans of the peace and justice that they crave.
The leaders prioritized exiting the Rome Statute even as AU rescinded its decision to deploy troops in Burundi because the incumbent, who stands accused in the eyes of his people, would not agree. The decision to not to deploy troops is a decision to stand with the incumbent and his murderous regime, against the helpless citizens of Burundi. The decision by the AU to make withdrawal from the Rome Statute the key issue at its meeting speaks volumes of the hypocrisy that has gotten over the Continent’s leadership. AU is pursuing the self-preservation of its member presidents at the expense of the Continent’s citizens.
One would have thought that saving lives and stopping the genocide in a member state would be priority to African leaders. Common sense would also dictate that talk of withdrawal from the ICC be preceded by presentation of alternative institutions and legal infrastructure to give Africans what they were looking for when they joined the ICC in the first place…mechanisms for justice and accountability against the Continent’s marauding leaders.
Many African countries have suffered from State-sanctioned human rights abuses and violence including recently in Darfur and Ivory Coast, without local mechanisms to ensure justice is done for the victims. The AU wants this state of affairs to continue. For the African Union to leave the ICC before this infrastructure is put up is to expose the population of Africa to marauding tyrants, many of them in control of State power, who can now carry out their atrocities in the comfort of the knowledge that they shall never be brought to account for their crimes against humanity. That is unacceptable. The international community needs to stand with the people of Burundi if Africa will not. In the meantime, African leaders must look themselves in the face and see how bad they look with this latest move.
This Continent has seen so much pain and shame. We must close, not reopen that chapter once and for all. The leaders must spare their people this hypocrisy.
HON RAILA ODINGA; NAIROBI; FEBRUARY 1, 2016.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

11 Habits You Need to Stop Doing

Stop watching too much TV If you spend too much time watching TV, you are wasting your life away. I feel really strongly about this one. I don’t have cable, and while I do watch some shows on Netflix, it’s few and far between. I only watch TV after I really am relaxed and need a break. I’m also careful not to turn on the TV right when I get home. I find that if I do this, I’m sucked in. This is why I keep my reading list and focus on reading good books instead. So, start to pay attention to how much TV you’re watching. If you think it’s too much, cut back. Limit your TV intake to 30 minutes to 1 hour per day, if possible. Stop talking about people behind their backs Talking about someone behind her back is a bad idea for a number of reasons. First, if someone is talking to you behind someone else’s back, you can bet on it that they also will talk about you. Second, did you know that when you talk about someone negatively, the person who you’re talking to will associate yo...
2 comments
Read more

How to Stop Porn Addiction

Don't be judgmental. The first thing you should do when trying to help other people stay away from porn is to stop being judgmental. Do not see or portray the situation in a way that makes them bad for what they do. Sexuality is very normal and human. Even most religions teach that it is not anyone’s place to judge their fellow man (but is instead the job of the Creator). It’s also bad to judge people because it tends to turn them off from what you’re trying to do. Many people that might be open to change will become defensive if you judge them and become even more set in their ways. Stay calm when you talk to them and avoid any judgmental language like “Why can’t you be more like Davis ?” or “Watching pornography will turn you into a pedophile!”. Don’t make assumptions about how they think or compare them to other people, since language like this tends to shut people down. Look for spiritual guidance. If you’re really having trouble getting your habit under control, you ...
3 comments
Read more

How technology will soon be taking care of your healthcare

The New Year tends to come with some changes - new socio-cultural interactions, new ways of doing business or new adjustments in our lifestyles. Some changes tend to fall on the wayside as the year advances. But other changes tend to be more long-term, serving to redefine several aspects of our lives. You can be certain that there will be changes in healthcare delivery this year. As with other service-oriented industries, technology will be a key driver of healthcare delivery. The interplay between technology and health is already quite advanced, but will get even more accelerated as the year progresses. You will already be familiar with a multitude of tech gadgets that can monitor various aspects of your health, and even offer suggestions on specific health actions. Such gadgets will get more refined, eventually becoming indispensable in individual health monitoring. You should expect to see more interactions with machines rather than humans in healthcare facilities. You wi...
1 comment
Read more