HOW WEST DESPISES AFRICAN SOVEREIGNTY

In 2011, as NATO-led forces went in to topple pan-African Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, a group of African leaders made a last-ditch attempt at diplomacy. They proposed flying into Libya to negotiate an orderly change of leadership. Their goal: to prevent all-out war. But they were bluntly told by Western powers that their safety could not be guaranteed if they flew into Libyan airspace. These were African presidents in transit, refused passage through an African state, on their way to attempt to stop a war that would destabilise the continent for more than a decade.

Their efforts, however, were sidestepped. Foreign bombardments continued. Gaddafi was assassinated. Libya fell into chaos. Since then, there has not been a functioning central government for the nation. It has disintegrated into rival administrations, and human trafficking, arms dealing and militia rule have taken hold.

This incident is a case study in the marginalisation of African diplomacy and the dominance by external powers in African affairs. It poses uncomfortable questions: Who decides the future of African states? Why are solutions born of African minds so easily rejected? And what does it say about international systems of multilateralism?

The call today is not merely for representation but for influence. Africa must progress beyond asking for a place at the table and take one on the merit of its own political, strategic and economic power. Political, security and social frameworks must be claimed by the continent first. Africans must refuse to be shoved into alliances or roles for the benefit of others. The future is about Africa determining its path and being heard when it does.

VIDEO CREDITS: @RwandaTV (YT)