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Archive for the tag “ECOWAS”
Opinion: Ouattara have to remember the fate of Gbagbo, that might become his own…
Alassane Ouattara should remember how he got into power in 2011, as the contested elections of 2010 gave way for him. That because the international pressure and the support for your place got in order. This is why he has had the pivotal role and been the President since 2011. His now going into his third term and pushing the same levels of dishonest elections as his predecessor.
Laurent Gbagbo was the elected President since 2000. A man who struggled a few coup d’etat’s, but that doesn’t stop the fact. That Gbagbo used his place in position and the role of Head of State to have the ability to circumvent an lost election. Which he did in 31st October 2010. That was his third election and was stretching his time in office.
Now Ouattara is trying to do the same. Guillaume Soro, the former Prime Minister is trying to be a viable candidate in the next presidential election. However, his banned and stopped by the authorities. While Ouattara is saying there is no other viable candidates and even as his ageing his the one who can stand yet another time.
It seems like Ouattara seems to forget why people had sympathy with him. That was because he wasn’t power-hungry nor a seemed like someone who wanted to be like Gbagbo. But now he proves that powers corrupts and he doesn’t want to let go.
Ouattara had to use violent means to get his victory validated. A week-long battle for Abidjan continued the bloodshed. Until the fall of Gbagbo, also the use of pro-militia to fight for his incumbency. Seemingly, Ouattara doesn’t want this against himself. But if he tries to overstay.
Who doesn’t say Soro get people pro-him and start the battle, if the state rigs the election and secure a third term. Just like Gbagbo tried back-in-the-day. He was called everything and had to serve time in Europe and charged at the International Criminal Court (ICC). Therefore, Ouattara must have thought his nemesis be gone.
Certainly, Ouattara thinks its wise to bar Soro from participating and joining the elections. Though, it only shows that his not prepared for successor, just like his predecessor. They are alike and the President hasn’t learned from his past. That is why he plans to run again and have a third term. Which would be the continuation since he was sworn in 2011.
Gbagbo had suspended the constitutional powers and suspended the elections between 2005 to 2010. Which in the end lead to the end of his reign in 2011. Just like his was secured as a former Prime Minister in 1999 and voted in 2000. Than he was supposed to have an election in 2005, but that happen later in 2010, which he lost to a previous Prime Minister.
Now Ouattara does what he can to stop a previous Prime Minister from running against him in October 2020. Soro should be able to run. That would only make sense, unless Ouattara is afraid of losing against another former Prime Minister. Which it seems like here.
Ouattara will make Soro look like a criminal, just like he did to Gbagbo too, but Ouattara also used violence and armed forces to get the power after 2010. Therefore, the President should have the sense of letting other run and not trying to capture all power. Nevertheless, don’t expect that he will give way to others.
We are now seeing a man who wanted to teach Gbagbo a lesson, maybe needs the same lesson. As his not indispensable. Ouattara needs to re-thing his strategy and give way. Maybe even try to find someone suitable to run instead of himself. But that means to answer for his time in office, which he most likely not want to do. As the fear to step down, as the consequences of doing so are unknown. That also, that no one before he stepped down and all has left power by the biggest guns. However, it should soon be time for someone to flee office like gentlemen and not like warriors. Drink a cup of tea and not buy more ammunition. Peace.
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Christmas ‘cancelled’ in Burkina Faso, in aftermath of extremist attacks (26.12.2019)
President Roch Marc Christian Kabore has declared 48 hours of national mourning, and all Christmas celebrations have been cancelled.
GENEVA, Switzerland, December 26, 2019 – Simultaneous attacks by extremist insurgents on a military base and Arbinda town in Soum province in the north of Burkina Faso resulted in the deaths of 35 civilians – almost all of them women – as well as seven soldiers. President Roch Marc Christian Kabore has declared 48 hours of national mourning, and all Christmas celebrations have been cancelled.
WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit lamented the death and suffering caused by these attacks, the deadliest in five years of escalating violence in Burkina Faso and elsewhere in the Sahel region.
“Even in the midst of our celebration of the birth of the Prince of Peace, such appalling attacks remind us that conflict and violence remain the daily reality for many communities”, said Tveit. “We pray for the victims of these attacks and their families, and for all the people of Burkina Faso and of the Sahel region, that they might be preserved from such brutality and freed from fear.”
Since 2015 when violence began to spread across the Sahel, Burkina Faso has experienced increasingly frequent and lethal attacks by extremist groups, with hundreds of people killed and an estimated 560,000 displaced. A predominantly Muslim country, Burkina Faso also has a significant Christian population of approximately 20%.
In early November WCC, jointly with ACT Alliance, wrote a letter to President Kabore, based on communications received from Rev. Tegwende Leonard Kinda of the Association des Eglises évangéliques réformées du Burkina Faso which presented an alarming picture of the humanitarian and security situation in the region of Kongoussi town following a spate of attacks in the area. The letter appealed to the Government of Burkina Faso to do its utmost to protect people of that area against an advancing wave of extremist attacks, to preserve all Burkinabé people from sectarian violence and divisions, and to arrest the worsening humanitarian emergency resulting from these attacks.
“We extend our appeal to the whole international community to support the governments of Burkina Faso and its neighbours in addressing this crisis impacting so many lives in the region”, concluded Tveit.
