Another Season of Discontents

Commentary

By Atilade Atoyebi

If only the world we live in can just be peaceful for a moment for a change. No. It cannot be!

In Africa, real peace is yet to return to Somalia since late Siad Barre was chased out of power in January 1991 until today has not enjoyed an appreciable level of stability. After several years of civil war, a jidadist organization, Al Shabaab has been causing unrest in the country without let or hindrance. Zimbabwe boiled most of the time during the 37 years of stranglehold on power by late Robert Mugabe. In Nigeria Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast mighty have been technically weakened, but they are still very much around. They remain a thorn in the flesh of the country as they carry on guerrilla warfare from their enclaves.

Sudan is just settling down after a violent revolution recently removed Omar al-Bashir, their long reigning President from power. There in South Sudan, a breakaway territory from Sudan is trying to cope with the sporadic volatile relationship between the President, Salva Kike and his deputy Riek Machar. The Central African Republic is smarting under protracted political instability laden with violence.

Cameroon had been somewhat insulated from loud political crisis from the time of late Ahmadu Ahidjo, her President from independence in January 1960 to her durable Paul Biya now. However, not anymore! A separatist movement, west of the country had claimed being marginalized by the government and so wants the Anglophone area of Cameroon to be autonomous. The Francophone rest of the country is saying no to that ambition. Of course, all the signs of armed confrontation are dominating the relationship between the two camps.
Mali is in crisis as a result of civil unrest between the north and south of the country.

Outside Africa, Lebanon is now boiling. The people that are dissatisfied with their government are now staging street protests. The administration of Saad Hariri announced series of austerity measures and the people seized the occasion to start what is now being termed as the biggest public demonstration in Lebanon. Reference has been made to the one in 2005 when the people revolted against the continued presence of Syrian troops in their country. Another one was in 2015 against the heaps of refuse that had taken over Lebanon cities. This time corruption is top on the diary of grievances of the people. Also, the government has been accused of failure to address the problems of youth unemployment, dilapidated infrastructure, especially power and water supply. Offers of reductions in the emoluments of public office holders and other feeble palliative measures will not calm the protesters that are calling for the outright resignation of the government.

The people of Iraq are also currently fighting their government on the streets over corruption and neglect of infrastructure. Protesters are accusing the government of economic hardship in their country that is the second largest crude oil producing nation in the world. Lives are being lost now in Iraq’s security forces tackle protesters. Syria’s bloody conflict started eight years ago and will not abate as President Bashar al-Assad continues to consolidate his power over the entire country after stopping the wave of Arab Spring that wanted to overrun his country.
The recent withdrawal of American troops from Northeastern Syria and the roles now being played by Turkey and Russia in the area will be to the advantage of Assad.

Yemen has been without effective government since the Arab Spring uprising spilled over to the country. In 2011, the President, Ali Abdullah Saleh handed over power to his Deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansor. The Houthi minority always at loggerhead with the government mustered more strength with the support of Iran to plunge the country into civil war. The war has been complicated by the accusations preferred against the government on corruption and it’s unsatisfactory performance. Peace moves have largely been unsuccessful. Even the current ceasefire is not dependable although we just heard that the Houthi fighters and the central government are working out an arrangement that will bring permanent peace to the country, whatever that is.

Also, we should not forget that Israel and the Palestinians remain in permanent state of conflict. America that used to come up with some initiatives to douse the conflict has been comparatively inactive under Donald Trump. In fact the decision by Trump to move the American Embassy from Tel-a-viv to Jerusalem simply alienated the Palestinians from any theoretical Middle East peace formula being worked out by the American President’s son-in-law and Adviser, Jared Kushner.

In South America, the economy of Venezuela has virtually collapsed. President Nicholas Maduro and the opposition leader, Juan Guaido are struggling for power and the people are suffering lack of food and other essential commodities. Meanwhile in an attempt to remove Maduro from power, international sanctions against Venezuela and Maduro’s regime, spearheaded by the United States of America have grounded the country to a stand still. The lifeline from Russia has not been able to ameliorate the desperate conditions in Venezuela.
Chile is also in turmoil. The country’s government has fallen out of favour with the middle class and opposition to the regime is now being staged on the streets of Santiago. Bolivia too is under stress. Evo Morales who has ruled the country for about 14 years has no intention of leaving office anytime soon. In the latest general election he has claimed and has been awarded victory by the electoral umpires. Furious Bolivians are now on street protests. In Central America, President Daniel Ortega, former hero of the Sandinista revolution is now finding it difficult to hold on to power. Street demonstrators opposed to his policies have been having raw deals from security forces. Lives have been lost. Many people have been injured. The crisis is not over yet.

Even industrial countries have not been so quiet. The American President, Donald Trump is facing impeachment process and his resistance against the move is hurtful to the image of the country. Sporadic mass murder of innocent persons by gunmen is not giving the country a good name either. Also the President is in the middle of economic ‘war’ with many of America’s trading partners, a situation that has disorganized international trade in large volumes.
For over two years, the United Kingdom has been caught in the web of whether or not to leave the European Union. Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and Commons have not agreed on a legislation that can facilitate the exit process, the same experience of Theresa May who had to resign as Prime Minister.

Under Trump, America seems to have abandoned its headship of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO. The President has taken the veil off the face of the Organization as a one and united body that can stand against any aggressive nation or a group of nations without any question. Members of NATO are unsure of America again as a pivotal member, going by the body language of the President.

Last but not the least is the street protests that are now feature of daily life in Hong Kong. Residents of the enclave ceded back to China by Britain in July 1997 will not allow China to trample on their civil liberties. The protests have forced the administration in Hong Kong to withdraw a legislation that would have empowered it to repatriate certain category of criminal suspects to mainland China.

All in all, the peace of the world remains fragile with no respite in sight despite the fact that nations are not in armed conflict with each other. Internal conflicts will persist over the damming attitude of the ruling class and the elites to the plight of a vast majority of their people. Corruption, insensitivity of the ruling class to their lust for wealth and avarice in the face of abject poverty afflicting their people, bad governance and disregard for full employment for the youths will make some nations of the world crisis ridden and unkempt.

Written by Atilade Atoyebi