Daily Independent (Lagos)
Emma Maduabuchi
24 November 2008
analysis
Lagos — The news was all over the place on Tuesday, November 18, that Rebels of the Democratic Republic of Congo had spurned a peace initiative by Nigeria's former leader, Olusegun Obasanjo. Fighting reportedly resumed in spite of Obasanjo's efforts.
The rebels under Laurent Nkunda were said to have seized Kanya and Kanyabayong, some 130 kilometres north of the regional capital, Goma. When the rebel leader, Nkunda eventually chose to halt his onslaught, he had made his point, that in the impending discussions, under no circumstance would he give up on the fundamentals of his struggle. He even bragged that "our troops control the entire Rwindi zone."
To many informed observers, this is a failed diplomatic shuttle, which teaches veritable lessons in the effect of antecedents on the present. Critics believe that Obasanjo's mission was destined for the rocks long before he took off. Their reasons were not far-fetched; they had argued that Nkunda and his henchmen would not necessarily see Obasanjo as a United Nations (UN) envoy, but more as a former Nigerian leader. There was the belief that rebels would not have forgotten his controversial role as former Chairman of the African Union (AU), who stood by and raised no eyebrow when Joseph Kabila was foisted on their nation, in a highly disputed election. Obasanjo is also said to be loathed by the rebels for attempting to perpetuate himself in office after eight years, and one who, when this did not sail through, organised a "do or die" election, which produced a government that was disconnected from the people.
For the UN it could not have been a mistake sending Obasanjo to Congo, a General with deep experience in the art of warfare and two-time Head of State of Nigeria. He was in the Congo in the early 1960s in a peacekeeping mission with a Nigerian contingent. An author, politician and farmer, Obasanjo, who schooled at Baptist High School, Abeokuta was born in 1937. He joined the Nigerian Army in 1958.
Notwithstanding this enviable resume, critics had expected a failure from Obasanjo's trip, and, perhaps, he expected a failure himself when he stated that his mediation efforts could not be expected to yield instant results. "You don't come on one visit and bring about solution to a problem that has been there since 1960. That problem is still here today and you think that one visit will solve it? Anyone who would bring that about would be God," Obasanjo had said.
But Olasupo Ojo, of National Association of Democratic Lawyers (NADL), is one Nigerian who thinks Obasanjo had never been a man of peace. "Is Obasanjo a man of peace? He is not qualified for that mission at all. If the United Nations wants Nigerians for that job, we have better qualified Nigerians than Obasanjo," Ojo remarked.
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What is Daily Independent of Nigeria doing in DRC but to cause mischief & import Nigeria's media confusion into the mess that SADC region already is? Whether Mr. Obasanjo is seen as a UN Envoy or as a former Nigerian President is immaterial to the issues at hand - yet he is both. His mediation role in the conflict is less than a week old and commentator like Tim from London is already predicting failure even b4 the process began. Now, that is called pre-judgment or prejudice. A little pill of positive thinking will go a long way in helping… [Read Full Text]
This so called OBASANJO failed to End Nigeria's DELTA REBELION in his own country. Now they put him to be a mediotor? what a world of jokes . OBASANJO himself is a JOKE look at his own country? . Only congolese parlementarians will be able to end the conflict. NKUNDA was imposed by Belgium and the US. He claims to protect the TUTSIs minority when congo have a TUTSI Senator and Deputies.
what he's fighting for is clear, A US/BELGIUM imosed PUPPET.
For your information, "the so-called" OBJ opted for PEACE in the region bordering between Nigeria and Cameroon. Why brothers and sisters, all Africans alike, should be fighting each other over oil money that may be accrued from the Bakassi, beats me? We encourage the southern Africa region to do the same. As for the Niger Delta, Mr. Obasanjo tried his best despite the mischief game of outsiders like CNN playing one against the other, yet our current President has continued to explore ways to design a lasting peace for our brothers and sisters in the Delta and we are confident… [Read Full Text]
I think Olasupo Ojo, of National Association of Democratic Lawyers (NADL), is absolutely right. Because to hear Obasanjo speak, it is as if DRC has not tried anything since to move itself on from the problems of 1960.
The people of Congo have been through a lot and willing to move on. They went through wars and even elections to turn those problems of the 1960s. They even once had a collective government that included different waring parties (just to help solve those 1960's problems). Now that they have an elected government, I think every congolese should see election as… [Read Full Text]