Johannesburg - The Libyan humanitarian crisis indicates the need for the reformation of the UN Security Council (UNSC), the implementation of progressive pan-Africanism in the AU and the need to redefine the concept of the responsibility to protect in the modern epoch.
The spilling of Libyan blood not only creates a martyr, but continues to expose the current configuration of the UNSC, the thirst and violent confiscation of African resources - especially oil in Libya - by the superpowers, and the systematic underdevelopment in the African continent.
The greatest prophet of Pax-
Africana, Dr Ali Mazrui, discussed what he termed the “African condition” to discuss the core reasons behind current African problems. He pointed out that the problems may stem from a curse by our forefathers to the current generations for failing to fulfil their objectives about the continent.
He also mentioned colonialism in all its manifestations - internal, external and neo-colonialism. And he mentioned systematic violence, which has its womb in poor governance.
For many Africans, it may be easy to allude to the existence of the curse, it may come from the failure to implement the African democratic revolution which is underpinned by Pax-
Africana. Such a curse may be evidenced in the manner in which many African states have resorted to ignoring the current Libyan humanitarian crisis and looking to institutions like the UN to solve the crisis.
The “minding your own” approach taken by the African states has resulted in the failure of the implementation of “continental jurisdiction” that Mazrui coined as the basis of progressive Pax-Africana.
Or there won’t be home-brewed African solutions, mechanisms and principles when the UNSC becomes the sole actor in the process to resolve African problems. The UNSC took a resolution in 2017 which stated that the UN
was committed to the “sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity
and national unity of Libya”.
This is contrary to the fact that the same council had taken a resolution a few years ago to declare a no-fly zone in Libya and, ultimately, for military intervention through the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which led to the assassination of the Libyan leader and some of his government officials.
The UNSC is only committed now to respect the borders of Libya when the nation is broken and bleeding, but failed to respect the borders when the nation was healthy with great prospects of sustained economic growth.
The attitude of the UNSC exposes the true nature of its configuration - to maintain the ideological differences of the Cold War with the West as
the growing hegemony in the international community.
This also places the African continent as the hub of satellite states in which the competing superpowers battle for their own interests.
A genuine African voice must be sought from Africans. African states must be part of the permanent states in the UNSC. Let African states lend a hand to Libya.
* Siweya is the founder of Africa Unmasked, and a national executive committee member of the ANC Youth League.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.