Ghana Must Not Rush To Recognize Rebels!

Feature Article, Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro.

Whilst the Ghanaian President Professor John Evans Atta-Mills, could be

counted upon as a voice of democratic Africa, his recognition to the

Alassane Ouattara junta and the role he played in getting the head of the

Constitutional Council, Dr. Paul Yao N'dre to rescind his decision to

declare Alassane Ouattara the winner of the contested elections, went too

far, in my humble estimation, in helping to legitimise an illegitimate

regime and a puppet of imperialism.

So far, the only thing Ghanaians are aware of is that the Ghanaian

government would not rush to make any decision to recognize the rebels in

Libya. It is thus alarming to read from wikipedia that: "On 24 August Gwede

Mantashe, secretary general of South Africa’s ruling African National

Congress, said that Ghana is considering recognition of

NTC.

"

I think peace-loving Ghanaians must raise their voices to stop the President

in his track. It must be mentioned however, that we recognize the immense

pressure African governments must be facing in this concerted onslaught by

the former colonialist nations and the US in this grab for recognition for

their darling rebels in Libya.

Unlike Nigeria, the very decision not to recognize Libya before the AU Peace

and Security Meeting on Friday, was in itself, an important victory.

"Nigeria broke with the 53-member African Union to extend recognition 48

hours ahead of a meeting of the union’s high-level panel on Libya. Ghana is

also considering recognition. “Nigeria is jumping the gun in recognising the

rebels as representatives of Libya,” stated Gwede Mantashe, secretary

general of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress." See: Michael

Jansen (24 August 2011). "Contact group to discuss aid to rebel

council".

Irish Times.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0824/1224302896869.html.

President Mills must not bow to international pressure and help carry the

voices of millions of Ghanaians who stand in principled objection to the

role used by the NATO forces to illegally support a rebel army to take

political power in a sovereign African country, and member of the African

Union whose Constitutive Act does not allow the AU, even to recognise

governments that come to power by illegitimate means.

*Attacks On Black Africans*

Meanwhile, reports coming out of Tripoli tell of horrendous massacre of

Black people at the hands of the rebels. I just read an account of what

Black Africans are facing at this very moment in Tripoly, and it disturbs me

a lot that the recognition of these murderous rebels rather seem to be a

priority than the safety and security of our fellow compatriots.

In today, Sunday, 27 August 2011 edition of the Independent,* *

http://www.independent.co.uk/ Kim Sengupta writes in "Rebels settle scores

in Libyan

capital"

from Tripoli:

"They were shooting at us and that is the reason they were killed," said

Mushab Abdullah, a 35-year-old rebel fighter from Misrata, pointing at the

bodies. "It had been really tough at Abu Salim, because these mercenaries

know that, without Gaddafi to protect them, they are in big trouble. That is

why they were fighting so hard."

His companion, Mohammed Tariq Muthar, counted them off on the fingers of his

hand: "We have found mercenaries from Chad, Niger, Mali and Ghana, all with

guns. And they took action against us."

But, if the men had been killed in action, why did they have their hands

tied behind their back? "Maybe they were injured, and they had to be brought

to this hospital and the handcuffs were to stop them from attacking. And

then something went wrong," suggested Mr Abdullah."

They must have stabbed themselves in the back seven times! Here is another

one:

"Come and see. These are blacks, Africans, hired by Gaddafi, mercenaries,"

shouted Ahmed Bin Sabri, lifting the tent flap to show the body of one dead

patient, his grey T-shirt stained dark red with blood, the saline pipe

running into his arm black with flies. Why had an injured man receiving

treatment been executed? Mr Sabri, more a camp follower than a fighter,

shrugged. It was seemingly incomprehensible to him that anything wrong had

been done."

The following observation must make anyone contemplating a recognition for

these rebels make a pause and say "Wait a minute, are these not murderous

racists?

"It is also the case that the regime has repeatedly unleashed appalling

violence on its own people. But the mounting number of deaths of men from

sub-Saharan Africa at the hands of the rebels – lynchings in many cases –

raises disturbing questions about the opposition administration, the

Transitional National Council (TNC) taking over as Libya's government, and

about Western backing for it.

The atrocities have apparently not been confined to Tripoli: Amnesty

International has reported similar violence in the coastal town of Zawiyah,

much of it against men from sub-Saharan Africa who, it has been claimed,

were migrant workers."

Here is also another extract, as we contemplate their recognition:

"The killings were pitiless.

They had taken place at a makeshift hospital, in a tent marked clearly with

the symbols of the Islamic Crescent. Some of the dead were on stretchers,

attached to intravenous drips. Some were on the back of an ambulance that

had been shot at. A few were on the ground, seemingly attempting to crawl to

safety when the bullets came.

Around 30 men lay decomposing in the heat. Many of them had their hands tied

behind their back, either with plastic handcuffs or ropes. One had a scarf

stuffed into his mouth. Almost all of the victims were black men. Their

bodies had been dumped near the scene of two of the fierce battles between

rebel and regime forces in Tripoli."

*Forward Ever! Backwards Never!!*

*Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro*

*http://www.panafricanistinternational.org/*