Il-kolpi ta’ stat fl-Afrika qed jimmoltiplikaw dan l-aħħar – Alfred Sant

L-eks Prim Ministru u MPE Laburista Alfred Sant innota li għal deċennji l-Ewropa ħadet il-kontinent Afrikan “for granted”. Fid-dawl tas-sitwazzjoni attwali fl-Afrika ċ-ċittadini Ewropej huma mħassba sew. Għandhom biex. “L-Ewropej kienu inkwetaw ukoll meta ċ-Ċina kienet qed twettaq proġetti kbar f’pajjiżi Afrikani u meta l-preżenza militari tar-Russja fl-Afrika kienet qed tiżdied. Madanakollu, il-kolpi ta’ stat li qed iseħħu bħalissa ftit li xejn għandhom x’jaqsmu ma’ dawn l-iżviluppi”, innota Sant.

 L-istess ħaġa tgħodd għan-numru ta’ pajjiżi Afrikani li tbiegħdu mill-Ewropa u mhumiex isegwu l-eżempju tagħha, kif din stenniet li se jagħmlu. Rajna dan jiġri meta faqqgħet il-gwerra fl-Ukrajna u numru ta’ pajjiżi Afrikani baqgħu newtrali, kontra dak li xtaqu l-Ewropej, enfasizza Sant.

Kolpi ta’ stat militari kienu jseħħu fuq bażi regolari f’xi partijiet tal-Afrika fl-għexieren ta’ snin wara l-indipendenza. Wara perjodu ta’ stabbiltà demokratika relattiva, hemm indikazzjonijiet li dawn reġgħu qed jiżdiedu. Fl-2021, kien hemm sitt tentattivi ta’ kolp ta’ stat fl-Afrika, erbgħa minnhom irnexxew. Il-ħakma mill-militar ta’ Gabon kien biss l-aħħar minn sensiela ta’ kolpi ta’ stat li seħħew f’dawn l-aħħar snin, u dan ġara xahar biss wara li s-suldati ħadu l-kontroll fin-Niġer.

Alfred Sant saħaq li raġuni għal li qed jiġri attwalment hu li waqt li l-Ewropej kienu qed jippriedkaw il-valuri tad-demokrazija u tal-kummerċ ħieles, il-kumpaniji kbar tagħhom, l-aktar dawk li jesplojtaw ir-riżorsi minerali kienu qed imexxu strateġija differenti fl-Afrika. Din kienet ibbażata fuq il-kontroll ekonomiku tal-pajjiżi b’riżorsi minerali kbar, f’alleanza ma’ mexxejja u elites korrotti. 

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Coup d’états in Africa increasing at a rapid pace – Alfred Sant

Former Prime Minister and Labour MEP Alfred Sant noted that for a long period of time Europe took the African continent “for granted”. In view of the current situation in Africa European citizens are rightly very concerned. “Europeans were also concerned when China was carrying out large projects in African countries and when Russia’s military presence in Africa was on the increase. However, the coup d’états that are currently taking place have little to do with these developments”, Sant noted.

The same goes with the number of African countries who broke off relations with Europe and are not following in Europe’s foot steps as it was envisaged they would do. We saw this when the Russian invasion of Ukraine got under way and several African countries remained neutral, against the Europeans’ wishes, Sant emphasized.

Military coups were a regular occurrence in some parts of Africa in the decades after independence. Following a period of relative democratic stability, there are indications they are on the rise again. In 2021, there were six coup attempts in Africa, four of them successful. The takeover by the military in Gabon was just the latest in a string of coups that have taken place in recent years, and came just a month after soldiers took control in Niger.

 Alfred Sant stressed that one explanation behind the current scenario is that while Europeans were preaching democratic values and economic reliance on free trade, their large companies, in particular those exploiting mineral resources were following and setting a different strategy in Africa in alliance with corrupt leaders and elites. This was based on the economic control of those countries which are in possession of the largest mineral resources.