The 21st Century Slave Trade In Libya

The year is 2017 and the happenings around the world seems to be moving at a faster pace with humankind trying to catch up with what is going on around him/her. Today, you hear a suicide bombing in Iraq/Afghanistan/Somalia/Syria and tomorrow you hear of a terrorist attack in the USA, France or England with 100s of innocent lives lost through no fault of theirs. When such unfortunate events happen, the various social media platforms are flooded with updates about them and pictures are quickly released and shared on these platforms. Some people too, especially, Africans south of the Sahara are also trying everything possible to cross the Sahara Desert and further cross the Mediterranean Sea in their quest to get to Europe for greener pastures. Some of these migrants are fleeing from their war torn countries and they think they can only be safe once they make it to Europe.

But the journey through the Sahara Desert and across the Mediterranean Sea is fraught with death, robberies, rape and slavery. Many of the migrants have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea as their boats capsize as a result of overcrowding.  A lot of these migrants die from thirst and hunger on the Sahara Desert. Most of the women are also raped and killed by some of the middlemen and armed robbers. These migrants are made to part with huge sums of money by the middlemen. Failure to pay these amounts results in one being left to die in the desert or sold into slavery to wealthy landowners and businessmen who use them as slaves on their date palm plantations and also house helps. The month of November, 2017 saw the various social media platforms especially, Facebook being awash with the horrors of the selling of Black African migrants into slavery in Libya. These Africans are being sold for $400, $500 and $600 each.

These Africans are auctioned and sold as slaves in Libya. The UN, AU and ECOWAS are urgently called upon to act now and free these young Africans held in ‘Slave Markets’ in Libya. The slave auctioning of African migrants in Libya shows how humans are deprived of all dignity. We should renounce all forms of ideology and prejudice that reduce people to merchandise. God save Africa.

   

Whatever Happens In Zimbabwe Stays In Zimbabwe ( A Romantic Coup d’tat)

Zimbabwe has been a very interesting country right from the time I started comprehending issues on the international scene, especially on African affairs. This week, the world watched with bated breath as tanks rolled into the capital, Harare in a show of force by the Zimbabwean Defence Forces to purge criminal elements (alleged) around the President, Robert Gabriel Mugabe.  The military command claimed these criminal elements were the ones who were ill advising the president to take certain decisions that seemed to be detrimental to the fundamentals of the Zimbabwean revolution and the survival of the country. Indirectly, they were saying that the soul of the nation has been kept in limbo for a long time.

These all started when the Vice President, Emmerson Mnangagwa sacked by the President allegedly based on the advice of Grace Mugabe, the wife of the president. Several reasons were given as to why the veep was given the sack. One of the most absurd reasons was that it was to pave way for the President’s wife, Grace Mugabe to become vice president and later succeed his husband. Now it seems the old man is not willing to budge and hand over power to an interim president. The military is also running out of time and the opposition is now mounting pressure on the President to resign. The opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai who was being treated for cancer in Britain quickly rushed back to Harare to mount pressure on the incumbent to resign and hand over power peacefully. Meanwhile, there were conflicting reports of the whereabouts of Grace Mugabe, with some reports suggesting that she fled to South Africa, other reports said she was in Namibia and others saying that she was holed up at her residence in Harare being protected by her loyal supporters in the ZANU-PF party. The main actors in this political crisis are Grace Mugabe, Emmerson “The Crocodile” Mnangawa, General Constantino Chiwenga of the Zimbabwean Defence Forces and Reverend Father Fidelis Mukonori ( A Zimbabwean Catholic Priest who is said to be a long time friend of Robert Mugabe and he is leading the mediation efforts for a peaceful transition of power.)

Meanwhile the military have been holding talks with President Robert Mugabe at his residence. The initial reports suggested he was under house arrest, but the pictures showed otherwise as they were rather engaged in frank and cordial discussions. The embattled president even had the opportunity to attend a graduation ceremony at one of the universities in the capital, Harare. Is this a house arrest? Not to mention the western media that has sharpened their teeth waiting to devour Mugabe once he has been kicked out of power. At this moment, we don’t need any pretentious statement from the toothless African Union (AU), the ever hypocritical United Nations and the South African Development Commission (SADC). I believe his enemies, especially the west are surprised as to why the country has not degenerated into chaos and civil strife, and they are confused why the military is refusing to call the situation a coup. Zimbabweans themselves will solve their problems and no life will be lost. Robert Mugabe will not go into exile but live out his days in Zimbabwe. Now to avoid a constitutional crisis in the country, Mugabe will have no option than to reappoint his vice president and hand over power to him. Since the army does not want the Speaker of the parliament to act as president. Robert Mugabe has so far refused to resign his position until the ZANU-PF hold their congress to impeach him or officially sack him as the party leader.  I will call this situation a “Romantic Coup”. Whatever happens in Zimbabwe will definitely stay in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe will remain peaceful and normal activities will go on. Long live Zimbabwe, long live Africa.