This is like telling a bunch of kids to stone out that corner shop
keeper that throws out candy/biscuits to them once every week - a
tough sell that is:
-Laye

http://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/print/content/view/print/390505

The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com
Will African leaders heed Clinton's call to desert Qaddafi?

Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi curried favor among African leaders for
decades by providing them with financial support, but Secretary of
State Clinton is asking them to abandon him.

By Alex Thurston, Guest blogger
posted June 14, 2011 at 3:35 pm EDT

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking to the African Union
in Ethiopia:

    "There is, of course, another country whose security matters to
all of us, and that is Libya. Libya has been the subject of many of
our discussions during the past few months. And I believe there is
much on which we can agree. There is little question that the kind of
activities that, unfortunately, have affected the Libyan people for
more than 40 years run against the tide of history. And there is
little question that despite having the highest nominal GDP in Africa,
thanks to oil, Libya’s wealth was too concentrated within Qadhafi’s
circle.

    "But of course, all the countries here are not in agreement about
the steps that the international community, under the United Nations
Security Council, have taken in Libya up to this point. Having looked
at the information available, the Security Council, including the
three African members, supported a UN mandate to protect civilians,
prevent slaughter, and create conditions for a transition to a better
future for the Libyan people themselves.

    "Now, I know there are some who still believe that the actions of
the UN and NATO were not called for. And I know it’s true that over
many years Mr. Qadhafi played a major role in providing financial
support for many African nations and institutions, including the
African Union. But it has become clearer by the day that he has lost
his legitimacy to rule, and we are long past time when he can or
should remain in power.

    "So I hope and believe that while we may disagree about some of
what has brought us to this place, we can reach agreement about what
must happen now. For as long as Mr. Qadhafi remains in Libya, the
people of Libya will be in danger, refugee flows by the thousands will
continue out of Libya, regional instability will likely increase, and
Libya’s neighbors will bear more and more of the consequences. None of
this is acceptable, and Qadhafi must leave power.

    "I urge all African states to call for a genuine ceasefire and to
call for Qadhafi to step aside. I also urge you to suspend the
operations of Qadhafi’s embassies in your countries, to expel
pro-Qadhafi diplomats, and to increase contact and support for the
Transitional National Council. Your words and your actions could make
the difference in bringing this situation to finally close and
allowing the people of Libya, on an inclusive basis, in a unified
Libya, to get to work writing a constitution and rebuilding their
country. The world needs the African Union to lead. The African Union
can help guide Libya through the transition you described in your
organization’s own statements, a transition to a new government based
on democracy, economic opportunity, and security."

Clinton’s speech follows a trend of leaders in the Sahel, some of
whose countries border Libya, breaking with Qadhafi. These include
Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, who chairs an AU
committee on Libya, but as Reuters notes, “the AU’s position has been
murkier and the organization — long itself the beneficiary of
Gaddafi’s largesse — has declined to join calls for Gaddafi’s ouster,
instead accusing Western nations of undermining its own efforts to
find a solution to the conflict.”

The momentum, in Africa, appears to be with those leaders who are
turning away from Qadhafi. Clinton’s urgings may have little relevance
to heads of state whose calculations are made on the basis of their
own interests, and not the United States’. But to the extent that a
trend is underway, and that some countries may believe siding with the
US against Qadhafi is actually in their interest, Clinton’s speech may
help tip the balance.

– Alex Thurston is a PhD student studying Islam in Africa at
Northwestern University and blogs at Sahel Blog.

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