Binneh S Minteh a former Gambian Army Lieutenant discusses the problems of corruption and human rights abuses in Africa

“The end of the cold war and the beginning of the 21st century marked a crucial moment in the African continent when strings of military coups took the forefront of political affairs on the continent. Pro –democratic totalitarian governments were overthrown in many African nations and replaced by military governments and quasi-military governments that lack any form of international legitimacy and or recognition by the legitimate international community of nations… Military governments are often compelled and cornered to organize fraudulent elections under so call Independent Electoral Commissions that lay the stepping-stone to international recognition and legitimacy. However with the presence of transparent and principled international observers, most elections under such power hungry demagogues are woefully condemned as fraudulent, deceptive and an insult to democratic principles and norms. Such was the case in Ghana with Flight Lieutenant Rawlings and his Junta, in Nigeria under General Sani Abacha and other numerous military leaders, in Burkina Faso under Captain Blaise Campaore, in Mauritania under ousted Maod Oultaya, and the Gambia under Retired Lieutenant Yaya Jammeh to name a few…

Apart from relations with rogue nations, dictators not only turn to private institutions involved in dubious activities, but also elements of the Afro –American, Afro-Caribbean and Afro-European community as a means of buying legitimacy. What becomes troubling in the riding is a total disregard of all human rights abuses by not only private global business entities, but also elements of our very own Afro-Americans, Afro-Caribbean’s, and Afro-Europeans and their continual support for such dictators across the continent…

In a similar development most African dictators are known to have hidden accounts and business investments under pseudo names with the help of International actors and mostly with the help of global players and the forces of globalization. Human rights abuses are given a total disregard and a complete blindness leaving innocent citizens at the mercy of outright bold and abstract dictatorship…

In the Gambia whilst human rights abuses continue to take shape in global affairs, President Jammeh’s relation with certain elements of Afro-American, Afro-European and the Afro-Caribbean community has become no hidden agenda at all. Whilst Journalist continue to be murdered, citizens tortured, with the unwillingness of the government to shed light on the disappearances, detentions incommunicado, the extra- judicial killings of members of the security and armed forces,  the brutal murder of student demonstrators, the murder of 55 West African national including 44 Ghanaians, the murder of Journalist Deyda Hydra, and a former Finance secretary of state Ousman Koro Ceesay, the Jammeh government continue to score well with a US base Street basketball federation that most recently concluded a Miss Black USA contest…

These are some of the challenges the African continent is facing. The degree of recognition and assistance military rulers enjoy as a result of the forces of globalization  irrespective of systematic and widespread human rights abuses must be condemned in all fronts of the civilized world. It is about that time when the forces of globalization must continually be used in enforcing the universal recognition and respect for fundamental human rights than to lay the building block for totalitarianism and absurd brutality.”

Source: Minteh, S. Binneh, “African dictators and the forces of Globalization.” Senegambia News. April 15th, 2007. http://www.africanpath.com/p_blogEntry.cfm?blogEntryID=2035.

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