Colonel Gadaffi forces journalists to see a baby injured by NATO

The entire guild of foreign journalists were led to a hospital in Libya in a government organised tour, after the Sunday missile attack. In the first few frames, the journalists, all restless, pushing elbowing each other for better camera angles, were visible.

Slowly, the long shot reveals a small baby girl, unconscious on one of the ICU beds in Tripoli.  The journalists mushroom around her, clicking pictures. Few Libyans standing next to the bed shout ‘mother’, ‘mother’, as a lady covered in veil enters the room.

Suddenly, a man comes in, stating himself to be the uncle of the small girl Hanin. He says she had been injured by the NATO strike. He complains against the coalition forces and the bombing caused, in his native language.

As soon as this news is about to spread, a hospital employee writes a note to one of the journalists, secretly letting him know that the small girl Hanin was not injured by a missile attack but in a road accident.

‘What will journalists do?’

Caught in ‘parachute journalism’ and sea of manipulated evidences, its very difficult for journalists positioned in Libya, against all odds, to get to the crux of the reality which exists.

Its one of the most repulsive incidents executed by the Libyan government to delude the international audience. No doubt, the NATo air strikes are causing harm, indeed, they would. But the entire point of using an innocent child as a mere means to gain empathy/sympathy is completely shameful.

But my entire question is, what should journalists do in this case? They can be easily led to places/situations to provide information which might be entirely wrong.

This incident reminds me what my dissertation professor Anthony said ‘The more you will hear about Libya, the more you will feel you do not know about Libya.’

‘NATO’s limitations’

Meanwhile, NATO has started with the helicopter attacks in Libya from last Saturday. William Hague has clealy stated that the the mission in Libya might continue till December.

At the same time, media is literally filled up with incidents of ships trying to rescue the migrants but not being able to reach the destination. Indeed, its a matter of grave concern.

Credit: Photo from AP Photos

The Rise and Fall of Military in Middle Eastern and African Nations

 “No dictator, no invader, can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power, governments and tyrants and armies cannot stand,’’ states J. Michael Straczynski, an American writer.

But over these years, the paradoxical trinity in between the army, government and the common people have caused impetuous revolutions in Africa.

‘A certain grasp of military affairs is vital for those in charge of general policy’ states Carl Von Clausewitz, one of the most renowned war theorists.

Though soon, he recognised that government leaders cannot be military experts and vice versa, hence reframing his theory to ‘the only sound expedient is to make the commander-in-chief a member of the cabinet.’

In fact, the continent is lined with this familiar attribution revealing the absence of good democratic governance, hence leading to inappropriate involvement of the military in the legislative dimensions.

‘Monopoly of Violence’

Sagaren Naidoo states that ‘In parts of Africa, the military, as an institution of the state that enjoys the ‘monopoly on violence’, lacks legitimacy as an agent of good and democratic governance.’

Starting from the post-colonial times, the military in Africa shifted from the political transgression of being ‘Western institutionalized paradigm’ to ruling the population because the civilian leadership proved to be dismal.

Also, the main task of military, which was to provide protection from foreign invasions by indulging into wars to protect the sovereignty of their own country changed to stabilizing organizational strength due to the collapse of governance. The effect of Cold war and the numerous military coups in African countries started deepening the crack, one after the other.

Though, several analysts defend the role of military and chose to put the blame of the weaker governance of any state, that manifests into the army being too ‘interventionist’.

Nicole Ball has also stated that it’s those countries that have very weak democratic system in Africa need the military. Thus, even if there are several protests and revolutions being witnessed in African continent against the military, one must remember that they form a concrete part of the ‘security sector governance.

 ‘The Egyptian saga’

The situation during the revolution against the Mubarak regime grew quite intriguing because the military in the country has been playing a very pivotal role in the governance.

Rainer Sollich, the head of the Deutsche Welle’s Arabic division states that ‘military has been there in Egypt during the important times of the history, especially during floods and scarcity of food.’

But even after Mubarak’s surrender and the army forming the interim government, the civilians are very disappointed by the imperceptive and heartless manner in which the governance is being carried out. The same military which refused to attack the protesters in spite of the curfew being imposed is becoming known for not giving access to activists in court proceedings, causing ‘virginity checks’ and hurling abuses at protesters at Tahrir Square now.

At the same time, smaller yet integral issues of employment, poverty, human rights are still being questioned.

Hence, the words of Sun Tzu seem meant for written for Egyptian history when he defines ‘The proximity of an army causes prices to go up; and high prices cause people’s substance to be drained away. When their substance is drained away, they will be afflicted by heavy exactions. With this loss of substance and exhaustion of strength, the homes of the people will be stripped bare, and their incomes dissipated.’

Another interesting point to make is ‘intrusion of western powers in the local politics of the government because they sponsor and aid the armies.’

For example, the security apparatus of Egypt is bankrolled by Washington. Hence, in the indirect ways, the military not only needs to answer to the pressures of their own government but also be ruled by the foreign forces.

Bosire Mosi states that ‘in the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions, the military behaved democratically, refusing to be used as agents of death.’

‘Role of Libyan army’

There are 76,000 soldiers in the Libyan army, often being judged with suspicion after the Al-Fateh Revolution of October 1969.  Saïd Haddad calls the army as the ‘marginal players’ in Libya. Most of us don’t know that Libyans have to indulge into compulsory military services right from 1984.

With 8000 members in navy, 23000 troops in air force and 45 000 troops in military, the Libyan government boasts of the greatest military reservoirs in the world. But at the same time, the poor maintenance services, labour problems and lack of equipments have worsened the so-called military status of this north- African country.

Over the years, monitoring and internal repression have been the main foundations of the Libyan army. Also, there are several quasi-military and security bodies in Libya making it even more difficult for the rebels to gain a stronghold.

But at the same time, the defection of the army generals in the past days has started questioning the ‘concept of loyalty in the army’.

‘Eye of a storm in Zimbabwe’

Due to being a landlocked country, Zimbabwe does not have a navy. With an estimated strength of 29,000 soldiers, the military in the country is surely credited as the power behind the dictatorship of present President Robert Mugabe.

Though, very recently, the Army General had also criticized the demand of ousting Mugabe and rather chose to call him the ‘Father of the Nation’.

Jason Mayo while referring to why military’s place should be in the ‘barracks’ has quoted one of the representatives of the Movement for Democratic Change stating ‘The best place for our gallant sons and daughters who serve as soldiers is in military barracks not the boardroom of a civic national body’

Over the years, the governance in Zimbabwe has been linked with the military on the basis of patronage and liberation struggle.

In an interesting manner, the Defense Minister of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa fought for the stand of military in civilian governance questioning “are they not citizens of this country? Where they get employment after they leave the army is not our business. If other people can be heads of parastatals, why can’t they?”

Further defending the presence of military rules in the government, he stated that they would “unequivocally uphold the Constitution and respect the rule of law in the lead-up to and following the elections or referendum.”

Though, in 2008, the Human Rights Watch had stated that there is a secretive body called Joint Operations Command which includes police and military commanders, causing immense violence after the elections.

Zimbabwe also grew up into one of the African countries known for ‘’ military coup by stealth.’’

The abuse of human rights by the military officials has become one of the main concerns in Zimbabwe. Tiseke Kasambala,senior researcher in Africa Division of Human Rights states to the Times that ‘A lot of them have dirty hands. They’ve enriched themselves and want to hang on to what they have and avoid charges of corruption.’

‘South African Army’

Article 200 of 1996 South African Constitution states that ‘The primary object of the defence force is to defend and protect the Republic, its territorial integrity and its people in accordance with the Constitution and the principles of international law regulating the use of force.’

One of the reasons why the study of army in South Africa is interesting is because the country’s progress from being a ‘pariah state’ to a ‘peace maker.’

Unlike other countries, the military in South African cannot adopt a brutal interface because of the country’s international image portrayal dealing with peace-keeping.

Also, the military underwent several revamps, especially due to the change of the political governance. To start with, under Nelson Mandela, the military was operated under the structural changes and reconciliation patters.

Less spending on the army and competitive defense were the two main areas. It was said that under Mandela, the efficiency of the military was given more importance than the effectiveness of it. As times changed, under Thabo Mbeki, profound importance was given to military but till then, the army started suffering from several ailments such as HIV Aids infection, high ratio of general to troops, increase in the aging soldiers number and more wear and tear.

When current President Jacob Zuma came in, the military structure started deteriorating in a new and different manner.

‘The future of army in Africa’

Hence, it’s completely clear that the usage of army depends on the government and vice versa. Both these foundations are inter-related in most of the African countries and they need to develop taking into consideration that they are dealing with civilians with human rights, freedom of speech and expression and above all, longevity.

The odious manner in which in some areas, military tends to subjugate while in other, the military cannot do anything because of the low infrastructure, does not make much of the difference in promising the greater good.

Hence, the military in African and Middle Eastern nations should start being a voice of the population they define rather than dominating them.

‘Mother of the Nation’ : Albertina Sisulu’s death mourned in South Africa

When 90 year old Albertina Sisulu embraced Angel Grace, a small child found in the drains in 2009, no one knew the ‘mother of the nation’ would face her end, two years later.Recently, Albertina was working with the Walter Paediatric Cardiac Centre for Africa which raises funds for children suffering from congenital heart defects.

Famously known as the struggle veteran, Albertina has a long story to share. The story which teaches survival, sacrifice, care and above all, value of human emotions.

‘Growing years’

The eldest daughter among eight children the Thethiwe family, Albertina, whose real name was Nontsikelelo worked very hard to make the ends of her family meet. She chose to work as a nurse, during her growing years, surving on very frugal income, just to manage sending money back home. When she shifted to Johannesburg, the place that she often dreaded to settle in because of the cultural differences, she not only met her partner Walter Sisulu but also grew out to be an inspiration to millions.

Right from the starting of apartheid and racism against black people, Albertina suffered a lot of differentiation. She often quoted how appalled she was when doctors refused to give medical treatment to black patients, irrespective of the emergency condition, due to the skin colour. Initially, she joined politics as a means to support her husband, only later beginning to establish herslef as the president of ANC’s Women League.

‘Inspiration to black women’

She also taught millions of other black women how to stop being depressed when they see their men being jailed and treated brutually because they have to be the strength of the family.  In return of her zeal and fighting back attitude, she was also the first woman to be jailed under the General Laws Ammendment Act of 1963.

Inspite of being detained in the solitary confiment for two months and being psychological threatened, she did not reveal the location of her husband to the police officers. In this process, she also was scared regarding the safety of her children, was barred from social outings and movements outside Johannesburg, yet she never gave up.

She was often quoted saying that women need to be strong because if they get depressed, the enemies win in their motive. Affectionately called as ‘Ma’ (Mother), Albertina also opened a new home for children at Sheikha Al Jalila House for Walter Sisulu Pediatric Centre for Africa in 2009.

With her profound love for children, Albertina kissed the hands of the one year old Nkgokena Molahegi on her 91st birthday.

Inspite of the death of her husband, she continued to support Nelson Mandela who was the best close friend of the family and even the best man in her wedding. She also attended the welcome ceremony organised for Mandela on 11th February 1990.

In 2005, she also attended the 50th celebration of anti-apartheid liberation struggle in South Africa’s Freedom charter in Kliptown.

In a nutshell, Albetina has travelled a long journey from being the only woman in the inaugral conference of the African National Congress Youth League to being the ‘One Woman Army’ of South Africa.

Forced Virginity tests on women protesters in Egypt

A senior Egyptian army general has confessed that ‘virginity checks’ were forcibly done on female protesters in Egypt. The social media is already bombarding with tweets and posts calling these checks as form of sexual abuse. In a humorous note, someone mentioned, passing the virginity test in Egypt is as embarrasing as failing it in America.

To me, it is repulsive, illegal and of course, abhorrent. To start with, Egypt on one hand, detailed Suzzaine, the wife of Mubarak only for 15 days. She might even get the immunity from prosecution in return of handing over her two bank accounts and a villa in Cairo. One of her accounts includes 3 million dollars.

But on the other hand, innocent female protestors who revolted are now being subjugated to forced virginity checks. Why the difference in between these women?

‘Not your daughter or mine?’

I am appalled by the statements issued by Shahira Amin, who once used to the deputy editor of Nile TV but boycotted it after she realised she could not be a hypocrite. She states that the Army general simply made a point that ‘these women detained are not your daughter or mine.’

Adding to the abominable remarks, he said that it was necessary to carry out these virginity tests on these women because

a. They protested with men during the 18 day revolution. Drugs and Molotov cocktails were founds in their tents at Tahrir Square.

b. The tests would impose the fact that they have not been sexually abused by Egyptian soldiers.

These reasons have been stated by General Ismail Etman himself, as reported by Huffpost World.

This reminds me of Eman- el -Obeidi from Libya, the young law student who was repeatedly raped and when she did run out to the hotel where foreign journalists stayed, she was ruthlessly carried away in a van and thrown away in some anoymous area.

‘Future for women in dictatorship?’

This makes me lose hope when I see women rebels getting trained to use AK-47 and other weapons in Libya. What justice and security would they get, apart from assault and death?

Its a matter of immense shame that women protesters in Egypt had to go through. They were given electric shocks, stripped naked infront of male soldiers, even photographed, beaten, etc.

Meanwhile, bloggers and activists are livid because of such episodes that continue to haunt the country irrespective of Mubarak stepping down. Hence, its right to state its not the dictator that needs to be punished but the ideology.

Its difficult to fight if you do not have one man at the top of the civilian government, anymore. Because now, there is a sea of ruthless men, with no faces or even consciousness. Great shame, indeed.

Can North and South Sudan have a demilitarised border when Abyei is burning down?

Amidst skepticism and political tensions roaring in Abyei area, both North and South Sudan are currently working on demilitarising the border with a joint patrol, confirms the African Union.

Though, AU adviser Alex de Waal did not state when the ‘demilitarised common zone’ would be implemented, he did mention that it would cover 1,300 miles.

In between these confirmations, what boggles down my mind is the fact that can

1. Both North and South Sudan have a ‘demilitarised common zone’ when Abyei is burning down?

2. If they even have it, what is the longevity of this international border?

3. Most importantly, why North Sudan is not giving any official statements regarding the entire secession?

However this border, which would internationally divide the two countries as South Sudan secedes on 9th July, has witnessed innumerable clashes in the past.

However, the fears of witnessing a larger border war, which might re-ignite the civil war between North and South Sudan, have been tremendous in the recent months.

‘The 1956 Border’

The international border between North and South Sudan would follow the footprints of the 1956 border. This border came into existence after Sudan won its independence from Britain.

Meanwhile, the British government had stated that it would help in the demarcation of the border.

Andrew Mitchell, the Secretary of State for International Development in Britain had stated that Britain would be supportive in this division and provide advise if needed by both the emerging countries.

Though, concerns are being raised about people who inhabit the border and frequently cross the boundaries in search for grass for their respective cattles.

‘UN’s proposal rejected’

South Sudan has asked the United Nations peacekeeping forces to withdraw itself after it gains independence and becomes the newest nation in the world. Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman, the UN Ambassador has officially stated this request in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban-ki Moon.

Also, South Sudan chose to completely reject the three month extension proposal by Ban ki-Moon regarding the mandate that involves 10,400 peacekeeping forces.

Ban-Ki Moon stated that this proposal was meant to further refurbish peace and calm deals between the two countries.

Though, Osman stated that the agreement can only be reached through very serious negotiations which would aim at international agreements, wealth sharing, citizenship and boundary issues.

‘Ethiopia’s peacekeeping support’

Neighbour country Ethiopia has recently offered to send its peacekeeping forces to the Abyei so that the clashes and violence being witnesssed in the location can be lowered down.

Meanwhile, Ethiopia provides shelter to 66,980 refugees hailing from Sudan. Most of these migrants inhabit the Gamble Region and the Benishangul-Gumuz region.

Currently, Ethiopia with its 1,606 kilometre border with Sudan tends to be a very important regional partner. Also, both the countries still need to establish their cooperated stand on the sharing of the Nile River.

Also, Ethiopia supports the Machakos agreement, also called as Comprehensive Peace agreement which would ended the second Sudanese civil war in 2005.

Nevertheless, the main question right now contemplates regarding the longevity of the ‘demilitarised common zone’ and its impact on the international politics of North and South Sudan.