Opinion Editorials, September 2011

New Libya:

Is it the First African Oil Gulf State in the Making?

By Abdirahman Mohamed Dirye

Al-Jazeerah, CCUN, September 7, 2011

Editor's Note:

The following article may represent fear of some Africans that the Libyan revolution against dictator Qadhafi may lead to loss of Libyan aid to Africa. The fact is that Qadhafi and other Arab dictators worked for themselves and served the imperialist powers, which supported their regimes against the aspiration of the Arab Nation.

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Think about NATO’s unconditional support for the National Transitional Council (NTC); think about the air support provided to NTC, and then smell NATO’s oily diplomacy combined with the Qatar’s financial backing at their NTC’s disposal. There is one conclusion:  NATO determined the result in advance by hand-training their pets,  the NTC, to make New Libya look like Gulf oil rich State in terms of blind loyalty to the West unless things go awry where the New Libya would be another devastating disappointment, and disillusion such as Afghanistan. The latter, in basing the bitter facts on the ground, is more likely to happen, acting like Northern Alliance of Afghanistan during Taliban removal from power; the NTC festively marched towards the capital with little resistance, Tripoli, under the escort of NATO’s bombers. that so far so good.

There is one lesson learnt from Libya’s experience: Unfriendly dictators of oil rich countries to the west such as Sudan should not fire bullets against protesters because rules of the games have changed! Invasion may follow in pretext of prevention genocide in the concerned country.

NATO’s gushing as well as its air support to NTC has fuelled small riots that Qadhafi could put under control; escalated into deadly conflict. NATO’ reckless quest for energy would destabilize other oil-producing countries on the continent, if they do not accept NATO’s terms of deals.

The meetings held in Doha, Qatar, has augured badly for the African Union (AU): The beginning of de-Africanization of Libya, the loss of AU’s only right hand, taking Libya to a new direction, and ultimate realignment with Gulf Cooperation Council, oil-exporting Arab States that are not in control of their countries’ fate or destiny, which Qadhafi looked on them down due to soldierly-like obedience to the Western powers since the creation of Gulf Cooperation Council, Kaddafi was always thinking to resist western hegemony over the third-world countries by any means possible.
Unlike Somaliland, NTC does not look for recognition but recognition falls after one another like rolling dice! What hypocrisy! Greediness overwhelmed morality! The world has a moral obligation to recognize Somaliland as it deserves nationhood while NTC which already acting like state has numerous uncertainties.

Why the international community held Libya seeking-solution conferences in Doha of Qatar rather than In Addis Ababa, where the AU has been headquartered or in Cairo of the Arab league? Is Libya’s issue a primarily a Gulf problem? Or did AU found to deal with only secondary, non-oil African countries’ impasses such as a poor relation of Somalia?

In contrast to Qadhafi’s aims: unification of the continent, formation of military bloc to defend the Africa’s natural resources from greedy villains, the NTC is intending to create New Libya with no role in Africa’s affairs or the globe. NATO partially succeeded to set up a puppet government in Libya before Qadhafi has been dislodged.

Qadhafi’s fall is a new debt in African Union’s account; he has been financially backing African missions in continent-wide. His passion for Africa to stay defiant against neo-colonists was so high.

NATO’s policy to compel African oil countries to blind loyalty, and parrot to their dictations including offering and guaranteeing their oil only to the West is a new phenomenon. However, the new Libya is expected to belly-dance like Qatar, her Arab-speaking mentor, to please her newly found surrogate father of NATO rather than being part of its natural domain of Africa.

The new Libya, the Qatar of Africa,  midwifed, raised by NATO is in the pipeline.
 

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Abdirahman Mohamed Dirye is an activist from Somaliland currently based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  He can be reached at: mrdirye@gmail.com
 
 
 
  

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