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INSIDE AFRICA
Sierra Leone, Nigeria and regional politics by Kemnagum Ken Okorie Sierra Leone is again in turmoil, gripped by the aftermath of yet another coup, a most unpopular one at that. Having at one time had four take-overs of its government in one week in the 1968/69 period, Sierra Leone has a notorious tradition with coups, as does much of Sub-Saharan Africa. As usual, the present coup is dotted with melodrama. The coup leader, Major Johnny Koromah, had been imprisoned for planning to overthrow the year-old democratically-elected government of President Ahmed Kabbah. Koromah characterized those charges as trumped-up. One account is that upon his release from prison, Major Koromah marched to the State House and took over. There does not seem to be any clearly defined plan or purpose for governing the country. Indeed some observers ascribe to the coup makers the sole motive to grab what they can for their pockets. Whether or not events were this simple or dramatic, Major Koromah's has, in a few aspects, become a coup with a difference. There is no clear alignment of parties, forces or interests. What has emerged appears to an array of armed rebels, militia and government's military each of whose credentials, organization, discipline, and reputation are in question. There is Koromah and his Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) led by Cpl. Foday Sankoh, which has engaged the government in military conflict even before the democratic elections of 1996. Obviously, Koromah's intrusion can only be grist to RUF mills. For the moment, Sankoh is said to be spending his time in hotel rooms in Abuja, Nigeria. Then we have the Kamajoh, which has been described by some as an ethnic/tribal militia. Certain reputable Sierra Leonians who prefer the group's historical reputation as traditional warriors dating back to the Mali-Songhai Empire reject such characterization and deny that they are a militia. The government of President Kabbah resorted to the Kamajoh as a civil defense measure and to check continuing military intrusion by the RUF even following the 1996 elections. An antecedent to such reliance on the Kamajoh appears to be a widely-felt loss of credibility and trust by the regular government military, which is commonly referred to these days as "Soldiers By Day, Robbers By Night (SOBOLS)". Consequently, the military felt alienated, marginalized and made increasingly irrelevant by President Kabbah's policies, which favored the Kamajoh. Not withstanding such drama and confusion, the Koromah coup is shifting the experience in Africa to a new and different phase. This phase may not be totally bad for Africa. Its aftershock may indeed be encouraging and reassuring to the geopolitics of the region. Two aspects are as pertinent and significant. For the first time, African governments have reacted as a family to the problem of organized governance in one of theirs. This coup has met with outright rejection throughout Africa, without exception. Major Koromah finds himself alone, isolated, and condemned in virtually all circles. The "internal affairs" and "territorial integrity" arguments of the sixties which emasculated the Organization for African Unity (OAU) and prevented it from constructive intervention in situations like the Nigeria-Biafra conflict seem superseded. African leaders seem to be recognizing that they must be their brother's keepers, a role no one else is prepared to play, or for that matter should be left to play. With this disposition and drawing from ties between the two countries which predate their political independence, Nigeria, the region's largest economy, is reaffirming its leadership in Sub-Saharan Africa and is taking the mantle. Having committed over three battalions of its troops and a naval force, Nigeria has been joined by Ghana and Guinea in bearing down on Koromah. Nigerian ground troops provided cover for American helicopters as they airlifted Americans and other Westerners out of Freetown. Significantly, Nigeria's initiative is coming on the heels of South Africa's similar leadership in getting Mobutu out of Zaire. From these situations, one may be tempted to read certain rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa in the African region. But such construction should be without merit. Sustained leadership by Africans such as Nigeria is showing in Sierra Leone and South Africa in former Zaire is what will provide the incentive for peace. Indeed, one should be particularly happy that South Africa has finally evolved away from the clutches of Apartheid to where it can now be a relevant member of the African fold. This serves Africa well. It serves the world well. In the case of Nigeria, she is also served particularly well given the recent attitudes and disposition of Western interests toward her. And if Nigeriaís military leader, General Sani Abacha ends up benefiting politically from this situation, so be it. This cat is African, and someone must bell it. And who can better do so than Africans. Africans simply have to accept the reality that we must begin to provide the answers to our problems, immediate and long term. We must recognize the futility of conflicts, accept the discipline that only one of us can lead at a time, and that once in leadership, it should be an opportunity to serve not self-enrich at the expense of the very people we claim to serve. Most importantly, we must recognize the self-destructive implications of leaving our faith totally to the West, whose interest in Africa is simply economic exploitation, no matter how one may coat it. Which is not to say that Africaís interest is totally inconsistent with that of the West. No; but since Europe and the United States have been the beneficiaries of Africaís corrupt leadership and political instability, one cannot realistically depend on them for solutions that place Africaís interest in the forefront. Furthermore, as the United States pursues its self-assigned role of the global policeman, certain limitations are inherent. That why countries like Nigeria deserve to be cooperated with to do their part in serving the mutual interests of everyone. Pursuing policies that exclude and alienate such countries is simply counterproductive. Maybe, just maybe, Africa is finally waking up to its realities. The challenge to the West is to show greater vision and understanding. *Okorie, an attorney and former President, African Bar Association In America Houston, Texas, is a member of the editorial board of USAfrica. Back to: Inside Africa Index |