Since the hosting of the Organisation of Islamic Conferences in March 2008, Dakar has undergone a face lift which seems designed to make it look more like Abidjan, with flyovers which serve every aesthetic but no decongestion purpose, and massive commercial construction on the Corniche which would tax Dakar residents for a peek at the sea. Was there ever an environmental impact assessment prior to the issuing of those construction licences? (Just me thinking to myself). That's my cynical view of the city, which I have come to appreciate for all its boisterous charm.
A new terminal has been added to the airport - a sort of refurbishment, albeit modernisation and the flights are rolling in as more non-governmental entities are enticed to relocate to Dakar, given the privileges meted out by the government of Senegal. They've learnt real quick that the service sector is the way to go, so real estate prices are rising through the roof as I sometimes wonder how average Senegalese manage to cope with the ever-increasing cost of living.
A hub, it might be becoming, however "who's hub" might be the question to whose answer we might find snippets of sustainability in the current process. I wish Abidjan can regain its lustre, because we need some competition in the "hubbing" of West Africa. If you see what I mean.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Monday, June 18, 2007
Thursday, January 11, 2007
The New Year...
Like the condensation of human exhilaration, fireworks rained down on Dakar…it’s the dawn of a New Year. How distant my last New Year’s eve celebration now feels. I had enjoyed two parties in Washington D.C., indulging myself in graceful company as though I had a crystal ball into this New Year.
This time around, other than the crackling fireworks raining down indiscriminately from above, I am and feel truly alone. In a new city, which I barely know, I am surrounded by the echoes of an empty apartment. Echoes sporadically punctuated by those jubilant fireworks. When I make that long distance phone call home, which temporarily eschews me from solitude, I hear my voice bounce off the walls of my yet-to-be-furnished-apartment. I am left to wonder whether my interlocutor on the other end of the line can also hear my words of solitude.
How does one make a resolution under these conditions? What kind of resolution emerges from the conflagration of echoes and silence? I can only resolve to…gotcha!!!
This time around, other than the crackling fireworks raining down indiscriminately from above, I am and feel truly alone. In a new city, which I barely know, I am surrounded by the echoes of an empty apartment. Echoes sporadically punctuated by those jubilant fireworks. When I make that long distance phone call home, which temporarily eschews me from solitude, I hear my voice bounce off the walls of my yet-to-be-furnished-apartment. I am left to wonder whether my interlocutor on the other end of the line can also hear my words of solitude.
How does one make a resolution under these conditions? What kind of resolution emerges from the conflagration of echoes and silence? I can only resolve to…gotcha!!!
Friday, July 28, 2006
Piecing Together the Puzzle of Uganda’s Elusive Peace
A complex combination of time, situation and opportunity, have coalesced to create an enabling environment for the ongoing Juba Peace Talks between the Government of Uganda (GOU) and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Snapshots from the past 20 years reveal an asymmetric conflict which has spanned three countries – Uganda, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo; witnessed egregious violations of human rights – including recorded cases of forced abduction and rape, attacks on civilian populations; the recruitment and retention of child soldiers; and the killing and displacement of millions in Northern Uganda. The current chance at peace has cross-border local and regional security and development implications. To piece together the puzzle of Northern Uganda’s peace prospects, consideration ought to be given to regional involvement in the peace talks, the level of representation of the parties to the talks, their positions on the issues, and the time frame for dialogue and agreement.
Over the past couple of years, the conflict dynamics in Northern Uganda have been altered by a number of factors which include – the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to end Sudan’s 23 years Civil War in January 2005; the unveiling of International Criminal Court arrest warrants for the LRA’s Joseph Kony, Vincent Otti, Okot Odhiambo, Dominic Ongwen, Raska Lukwiya in October 2005; Yoweri Museveni’s re-election to the Ugandan presidency in February 2006; and the upcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo. All these events have invariably shifted strategic decision-making choices towards the management and sustainable resolution of the conflict in Northern Uganda. Hence the high expectations, colored by cautious optimism, surrounding the ongoing Juba Peace Talks. It would be remarkable to cap off this series of stabilizing events with a sustainable and comprehensive peace deal in Northern Uganda. However, a few pieces of the peace puzzle remain elusive.
Given the regional implications of the sustained conflict in Northern Uganda, there is the need for the Juba Peace Talks to be put under a broader regional organizational mandate. The African Union has a stake in the current peace process, given that the conflict in Northern Uganda is currently Africa’s longest running cross-border intra-state conflict. Meanwhile a strong Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) presence at the peace process would show the commitment of regional actors to see a deal emerge from the ongoing talks. These organizational actors would, through their participation, leverage the actors to reach consensus by providing security and monitoring guarantees where they are needed. They would also provide the bridge to trust and confidence-building between both parties. These are all intangible elements which would bolster the current effort being undertaken by the Government of South Sudan.
However, regional participation is legally complicated by the ICC warrants looming over the peace process. The warrants are blamed for Kony’s skepticism to directly participate in the talks. As the argument goes, if Kony steps foot in Juba, the UN forces on the ground could arrest him, given the outstanding warrant. This once again raises the long-standing contention between peace and justice. With the commitment of the international community, a just peace can be attained. Simplistically, a coordinated effort by MONUC (United Nations Mission in the Congo) and UNMIS (United Nations Mission in Sudan) forces could enforce the warrants executed by the ICC, bring the leaders of the LRA to justice, thereby opening the way for tier-two LRA leadership to engage the GOU in peace talks.
With these structural deficiencies in the backdrop of the ongoing talks, there remains a need to find common ground between the GOU’s push for a narrow agreement which focuses on current strategic calculations, and the LRA’s search for a more comprehensive agreement which addresses the root causes of the conflict. The GOU’s bargaining position is strengthened by the ICC warrants on the LRA leaders. Hon. Amama Mbabazi, Ugandan Minister for Security, visited the ICC in the Hague on July12th – two days before the start of the Juba Peace Talks – but noticeably did not request a withdrawal of the ICC arrest warrants. The government’s stand at the peace talks remains hinged on a narrow amnesty offer for the LRA leadership under indictment by the ICC. For the rest of the LRA fighting force, the GOU envisages for some, reintegration through a security merger with the Ugandan Peoples’ Defense Forces (UPDF); and for others, the GOU plans for reconciliation and resettlement into Ugandan civilian life. To this government position, Hon. Betty Akech, former Ugandan Minister for State Security, while noting previous failed talks between both parties, cautions that “the GOU should only make realistic, feasible and deliverable commitments to the LRA not those it cannot implement because of some structural as well as legal difficulties.”
Though the LRA has denied any strategic frailty, their attempts at calling for the talks and Kony delivering his first televised interview in 20 years, are a response to the collusion of forces to bring them to the Juba Peace Talks. The LRA seeks a more expansive peace agreement including compensation for losses incurred during the conflict, a program of national reconciliation and national unity, a completely revamped national army and wealth-sharing and power-sharing agreements similar to those of the Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Hence beyond the acrimony accusation and counter accusation which marred their initial encounters on July 14, their positions do not seem so distant after all. Nevertheless, the devil remains in the details of the puzzle to Northern Uganda’s elusive peace.
Overall, there is the need for a peace deal which will positively alter the attitudes and behaviors which have sustained the conflict over the past 20 years. Meanwhile, institutional guarantees need to be put in place for altering structural contradictions and fostering peace with development.
The government September 12 deadline for an agreement seems rather abbreviated given the 20 years of mutual mistrust, fear and uncertainty which separate the GOU and the LRA. Should the current Juba Peace Talks fail to reach an agreement the GOU would consider an outright military victory by attacking LRA positions in the Garamba forest in the northeastern DRC. Meanwhile, the LRA would resort to the same guerilla tactics which has sustained them as a resilient, close knit fighting force over the last 20 years. This situational dynamic has consequences on the fragile CPA under implementation in Sudan and on the concerted effort by IGAD, IGAD partners, the AU and the UN to bring peace to Sudan. The stakes are much higher than they appear on the surface, thus regional and international partners ought to get involved.
All the pieces in Uganda’s peace puzzle may not come together at this point in time. However, the start of high level talks between the main parties to the conflict is a laudable move in the right direction. If the talks break off with the commitment toward further consultation between both parties, it would have provided a window of opportunity to right the organizational, participatory and temporal frailties of the current effort. A return to the conflict status quo ante is definitely not an enviable option.
Over the past couple of years, the conflict dynamics in Northern Uganda have been altered by a number of factors which include – the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to end Sudan’s 23 years Civil War in January 2005; the unveiling of International Criminal Court arrest warrants for the LRA’s Joseph Kony, Vincent Otti, Okot Odhiambo, Dominic Ongwen, Raska Lukwiya in October 2005; Yoweri Museveni’s re-election to the Ugandan presidency in February 2006; and the upcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo. All these events have invariably shifted strategic decision-making choices towards the management and sustainable resolution of the conflict in Northern Uganda. Hence the high expectations, colored by cautious optimism, surrounding the ongoing Juba Peace Talks. It would be remarkable to cap off this series of stabilizing events with a sustainable and comprehensive peace deal in Northern Uganda. However, a few pieces of the peace puzzle remain elusive.
Given the regional implications of the sustained conflict in Northern Uganda, there is the need for the Juba Peace Talks to be put under a broader regional organizational mandate. The African Union has a stake in the current peace process, given that the conflict in Northern Uganda is currently Africa’s longest running cross-border intra-state conflict. Meanwhile a strong Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) presence at the peace process would show the commitment of regional actors to see a deal emerge from the ongoing talks. These organizational actors would, through their participation, leverage the actors to reach consensus by providing security and monitoring guarantees where they are needed. They would also provide the bridge to trust and confidence-building between both parties. These are all intangible elements which would bolster the current effort being undertaken by the Government of South Sudan.
However, regional participation is legally complicated by the ICC warrants looming over the peace process. The warrants are blamed for Kony’s skepticism to directly participate in the talks. As the argument goes, if Kony steps foot in Juba, the UN forces on the ground could arrest him, given the outstanding warrant. This once again raises the long-standing contention between peace and justice. With the commitment of the international community, a just peace can be attained. Simplistically, a coordinated effort by MONUC (United Nations Mission in the Congo) and UNMIS (United Nations Mission in Sudan) forces could enforce the warrants executed by the ICC, bring the leaders of the LRA to justice, thereby opening the way for tier-two LRA leadership to engage the GOU in peace talks.
With these structural deficiencies in the backdrop of the ongoing talks, there remains a need to find common ground between the GOU’s push for a narrow agreement which focuses on current strategic calculations, and the LRA’s search for a more comprehensive agreement which addresses the root causes of the conflict. The GOU’s bargaining position is strengthened by the ICC warrants on the LRA leaders. Hon. Amama Mbabazi, Ugandan Minister for Security, visited the ICC in the Hague on July12th – two days before the start of the Juba Peace Talks – but noticeably did not request a withdrawal of the ICC arrest warrants. The government’s stand at the peace talks remains hinged on a narrow amnesty offer for the LRA leadership under indictment by the ICC. For the rest of the LRA fighting force, the GOU envisages for some, reintegration through a security merger with the Ugandan Peoples’ Defense Forces (UPDF); and for others, the GOU plans for reconciliation and resettlement into Ugandan civilian life. To this government position, Hon. Betty Akech, former Ugandan Minister for State Security, while noting previous failed talks between both parties, cautions that “the GOU should only make realistic, feasible and deliverable commitments to the LRA not those it cannot implement because of some structural as well as legal difficulties.”
Though the LRA has denied any strategic frailty, their attempts at calling for the talks and Kony delivering his first televised interview in 20 years, are a response to the collusion of forces to bring them to the Juba Peace Talks. The LRA seeks a more expansive peace agreement including compensation for losses incurred during the conflict, a program of national reconciliation and national unity, a completely revamped national army and wealth-sharing and power-sharing agreements similar to those of the Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Hence beyond the acrimony accusation and counter accusation which marred their initial encounters on July 14, their positions do not seem so distant after all. Nevertheless, the devil remains in the details of the puzzle to Northern Uganda’s elusive peace.
Overall, there is the need for a peace deal which will positively alter the attitudes and behaviors which have sustained the conflict over the past 20 years. Meanwhile, institutional guarantees need to be put in place for altering structural contradictions and fostering peace with development.
The government September 12 deadline for an agreement seems rather abbreviated given the 20 years of mutual mistrust, fear and uncertainty which separate the GOU and the LRA. Should the current Juba Peace Talks fail to reach an agreement the GOU would consider an outright military victory by attacking LRA positions in the Garamba forest in the northeastern DRC. Meanwhile, the LRA would resort to the same guerilla tactics which has sustained them as a resilient, close knit fighting force over the last 20 years. This situational dynamic has consequences on the fragile CPA under implementation in Sudan and on the concerted effort by IGAD, IGAD partners, the AU and the UN to bring peace to Sudan. The stakes are much higher than they appear on the surface, thus regional and international partners ought to get involved.
All the pieces in Uganda’s peace puzzle may not come together at this point in time. However, the start of high level talks between the main parties to the conflict is a laudable move in the right direction. If the talks break off with the commitment toward further consultation between both parties, it would have provided a window of opportunity to right the organizational, participatory and temporal frailties of the current effort. A return to the conflict status quo ante is definitely not an enviable option.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
And here…I let go
Sitting right here in the middle
Of their ebullient company
Yet all alone
And naked in the light
A sudden jolt of courage
Beckons me sluggishly
To leer at our fleeting image
It stand still
Only a short distance away
Or what might have been
Only a short distance away
Though it could have been
All so far away
Or was it
Only in my mind
That I had fabricated
That exotic fantasy
Of boisterous you
And somber me
Perfect together
At least
I thought it was
Then you thought we were
And I hoped we would be
Then you claimed we might be
Only in the presence of reality
The light dawns upon us
We were never a possibility
Even less still
A snippet of probability
I never was
You never were
We never would be
But in our worlds apart
Wherein I am
And you are
And we’ve become
A mirage of desert illusions
Burning an image of fantasy
In the heat of desolation.
Of their ebullient company
Yet all alone
And naked in the light
A sudden jolt of courage
Beckons me sluggishly
To leer at our fleeting image
It stand still
Only a short distance away
Or what might have been
Only a short distance away
Though it could have been
All so far away
Or was it
Only in my mind
That I had fabricated
That exotic fantasy
Of boisterous you
And somber me
Perfect together
At least
I thought it was
Then you thought we were
And I hoped we would be
Then you claimed we might be
Only in the presence of reality
The light dawns upon us
We were never a possibility
Even less still
A snippet of probability
I never was
You never were
We never would be
But in our worlds apart
Wherein I am
And you are
And we’ve become
A mirage of desert illusions
Burning an image of fantasy
In the heat of desolation.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Monday, May 22, 2006
Into The Heart of a Journey...
I would hardly have noticed the difference between Washington D.C. and Johannesburg, had South Africa Airways not subjected me to a forced 10 hour layover in a cramped waiting room in Accra, Ghana. Landing in Accra, to pick up passengers headed for Jo’burg, the Captain announced that the SAA Boeing 747 AKA /The Big North’s/ Auxiliary Power Unit was out. Of course, I was obliged to acquaint myself with this aeronautical jargon which was accompanied by a long explanation. I simply regaled in the fact that an airplane defect had been detected and was being repaired.
As the minutes lengthened into hours of waiting in Accra, the anticipation at reaching Johannesburg International Airport was quickly dampened by the uncertainty surrounding the repairs of the plane’s APU. Trapped within an information-free vacuum, we could only conjecture a probable departure time from Accra. For those with loved ones waiting in J’burg, I could only imagine the anxiety which reigned at the arrival lounge at J’burg International.
That wait time was an all-consuming side show, which was not without its own diversions. A band of young men with “Security” affixed to their jerseys escorted the stranded throng of passengers from the stalled plane to the waiting lounge. Then they quickly switched hats and became businessmen. They lent their cell phones to the desperate passengers for $5 a minute. Of course the dollar was the medium of exchange, as not once did I hear mention of the Ghanaian Pesewa.
These passengers used these temporary cell phone services to communicate uncertainty to their relatives on either side of the Atlantic. I could only imagine how the conversations may have proceeded (conversations which were bound to last over a minute. Nothing was more galling than watching these folks being taken advantage of to communicate their expectant uncertainties.
Accra: Hi Hon
DC: Hi, are you in J’burg yet?
Accra: Oh no, there was an APU failure on the plane.
DC: Was it dangerous?
Accra: I have not idea, however the pilot appeared really calm about it.
DC: So when would you get to Johannesburg?
Accra: I have not clue because the SAA authorities have not updated us on the problem. However, I am sorry I have to go. This conversation is costing me a fortune. If you would kindly tell A, B & C that we’re doing okay, though holed up in Accra, I would be most grateful. I will call you once we get to J’burg. Love you, bye.
Of course that conversation lasted a little over a minute and spread uncertainty from Accra to Washington D.C. to J’burg.
After an hour lounging in the Kotoko International Airport waiting room, some people had found creative ways to pass time. They stood in the waiting room and took pictures of the plane standing like a huge carcass on the tarmac. They took pictures of their brethren-in-distress sleeping, listening to music, reading and exchanging their frustrations in conversation to pass time. I overheard people talking about seminars they were meant to attend, I overheard people seeking to contact the U.S. embassy in Accra to complain about the treatment we were getting from South African Airways. Of course it was early Sunday morning and I wondered how many of them would want to be disturbed by stranded passengers on a week-end…
At the second hour mark, people become restive. They questioned why the SAA authorities had not been so courteous as to inform us about the progress of the repairs. They wanted refreshments. However, the curious in the crowd had found a bar which made an instant fortune selling beer in dollars to the stranded passengers. The international traveler is definitely an extravagant spender.
The adjoining bar had opened to cater to the “emergency” situation. Beer provided a requisite escape from the prolonged layover. With a little music, it would have made for a very weary party. However, the air conditioners hummed their inadequate breaths of air in a over-filled lounge. The humidity combined with the acrid stench emanating from the restrooms evidenced that these rooms were really meant for temporary rather than prolonged occupancy.
Then a technician with SAA became the spokesperson for the authorities. He announced that work was being done on the plane and it would be another couple of hours before we could take off. So people started counting down two hours.
Two hours came and went and Mr. Spokesman retuned to say that they were making hotel arrangements for us. Nothing could be farther from the truth, given that Ghanaian authorities would have had to get the approx. 200 passengers visa certified before they could accede to Accra soil. The charade only got more preposterous and offensive.
Then someone got the brilliant idea that some refreshments could assuage a restive crowd. It was not until 4 am that some water was served. Then at 6 am, came the soda and some sandwiches. Finally someone cared.
However, by this stage almost everyone was prepared to go with the flow and with the flow we went. Excitement swept through the crowd when at about 9 am, we were told that departure was imminent. Then it was interesting to see the plane’s crew chauffeured on board the plane after their restful nights in some Accra hotel. Interesting was the only was to describe this adventure in international travel.
As the minutes lengthened into hours of waiting in Accra, the anticipation at reaching Johannesburg International Airport was quickly dampened by the uncertainty surrounding the repairs of the plane’s APU. Trapped within an information-free vacuum, we could only conjecture a probable departure time from Accra. For those with loved ones waiting in J’burg, I could only imagine the anxiety which reigned at the arrival lounge at J’burg International.
That wait time was an all-consuming side show, which was not without its own diversions. A band of young men with “Security” affixed to their jerseys escorted the stranded throng of passengers from the stalled plane to the waiting lounge. Then they quickly switched hats and became businessmen. They lent their cell phones to the desperate passengers for $5 a minute. Of course the dollar was the medium of exchange, as not once did I hear mention of the Ghanaian Pesewa.
These passengers used these temporary cell phone services to communicate uncertainty to their relatives on either side of the Atlantic. I could only imagine how the conversations may have proceeded (conversations which were bound to last over a minute. Nothing was more galling than watching these folks being taken advantage of to communicate their expectant uncertainties.
Accra: Hi Hon
DC: Hi, are you in J’burg yet?
Accra: Oh no, there was an APU failure on the plane.
DC: Was it dangerous?
Accra: I have not idea, however the pilot appeared really calm about it.
DC: So when would you get to Johannesburg?
Accra: I have not clue because the SAA authorities have not updated us on the problem. However, I am sorry I have to go. This conversation is costing me a fortune. If you would kindly tell A, B & C that we’re doing okay, though holed up in Accra, I would be most grateful. I will call you once we get to J’burg. Love you, bye.
Of course that conversation lasted a little over a minute and spread uncertainty from Accra to Washington D.C. to J’burg.
After an hour lounging in the Kotoko International Airport waiting room, some people had found creative ways to pass time. They stood in the waiting room and took pictures of the plane standing like a huge carcass on the tarmac. They took pictures of their brethren-in-distress sleeping, listening to music, reading and exchanging their frustrations in conversation to pass time. I overheard people talking about seminars they were meant to attend, I overheard people seeking to contact the U.S. embassy in Accra to complain about the treatment we were getting from South African Airways. Of course it was early Sunday morning and I wondered how many of them would want to be disturbed by stranded passengers on a week-end…
At the second hour mark, people become restive. They questioned why the SAA authorities had not been so courteous as to inform us about the progress of the repairs. They wanted refreshments. However, the curious in the crowd had found a bar which made an instant fortune selling beer in dollars to the stranded passengers. The international traveler is definitely an extravagant spender.
The adjoining bar had opened to cater to the “emergency” situation. Beer provided a requisite escape from the prolonged layover. With a little music, it would have made for a very weary party. However, the air conditioners hummed their inadequate breaths of air in a over-filled lounge. The humidity combined with the acrid stench emanating from the restrooms evidenced that these rooms were really meant for temporary rather than prolonged occupancy.
Then a technician with SAA became the spokesperson for the authorities. He announced that work was being done on the plane and it would be another couple of hours before we could take off. So people started counting down two hours.
Two hours came and went and Mr. Spokesman retuned to say that they were making hotel arrangements for us. Nothing could be farther from the truth, given that Ghanaian authorities would have had to get the approx. 200 passengers visa certified before they could accede to Accra soil. The charade only got more preposterous and offensive.
Then someone got the brilliant idea that some refreshments could assuage a restive crowd. It was not until 4 am that some water was served. Then at 6 am, came the soda and some sandwiches. Finally someone cared.
However, by this stage almost everyone was prepared to go with the flow and with the flow we went. Excitement swept through the crowd when at about 9 am, we were told that departure was imminent. Then it was interesting to see the plane’s crew chauffeured on board the plane after their restful nights in some Accra hotel. Interesting was the only was to describe this adventure in international travel.
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