THE PLIGHT OF AFRICA: A TROUBLED CONTINENT
by Mario Barone
The nations of sub-Saharan Africa have struggled since they gained independence in the 1960s. In recent years, democracy and peace finally came to South Africa, Namibia, Nigeria, and Mozambique, but dictatorships, civil wars, poverty and disease still thrive in much of the continent.
Africa's largest country, Sudan, has been marked by civil war, chronic political instability, adverse weather, high inflation, and counterproductive economic policies, according to the CIA. An Islamic military junta controls the country; it took tentative steps to introduce democracy in 1999 but disbanded the parliament and declared a state of emergency last month. Fighting continues between the northerners who control the country and rebel movements in the Christian and animist south. Critics say the slave trade is still rampant in Sudan. The country is also suspected of harboring terrorists.
Ethiopia isn't quite the famine-ridden place Americans remember from the 1980s. A 17-year civil war ended in 1991 and an elected government took power in 1995. The country had slashed defense spending and was on its way to recovery when it started a disastrous border war with Eritrea in 1998, which has been draining the coffers of both countries and imperiling their fragile economies. Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's political position is tenuous.
Since 1991, Somalia has had no government. Anarchy, banditry and fighting among competing warlords have led to a collapsed economy and starving population. Recently, a "Republic of Somaliland" declared itself in the north of the country. Peaceful, and run by tribal elders, Somaliland has received some economic assistance from the European Union and a positive nod in the CIA World Factbook but no diplomatic recognition.
Kenya represents the economic and population giant of East Africa. It is ruled by Daniel Arap Moi, a dictator who has been in power since 1978 and won imperfect but democratic elections in 1991 and 1997. The economy has grown quickly over the past few years due to reforms, but outside observers criticize government corruption and Moi's poor human rights record. Kenya is famous for its coffee and tea.
Rwanda is still recovering from a civil war and genocide in which ethnic Hutu extremists massacred up to 1 million minority Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus. Insurgents opposed to the current government are still launching attacks against Rwanda from bases in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Throughout the 1980s, Uganda was an African success story, with growth rates above 6 percent annually as it recovered from the horrors of Idi Amin's regime. President Yoweri Museveni has run an autocratic but peaceful state, but now faces political strife for supporting rebels in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. Insurgent groups supported by Sudan have been leading attacks throughout the country. Uganda was also one of the first countries to face a massive AIDS crisis, though the adult infection rate is now down to 9.5 percent.
In a nearly-bloodless Christmas coup in late 1999, the Ivory Coast military overthrew President Henri Konan Bedie and installed General Robert Guei as head of state. Though peaceful, Ivory Coast had been under strict one-party rule since independence in 1960; opposition parties boycotted a 1995 vote. The army has promised new elections this year, and the government is currently dominated by the former major opposition party.
Angola has been engulfed in war and civil strife since attaining independence from Portugal in 1975. A peace accord signed in 1994 brought a temporary halt to Angola's civil war, but the fighting began again at the end of 1998. The MPLA government destroyed the UNITA rebels' major base in December 1999, and rebel leader Jonas Savimbi is now on the run. More than 950,000 people have been displaced and many people rely exclusively on international aid for food. The country is also plagued by land mines.
On Jan. 6, 1999, rebel forces entered Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital. The resulting fighting resulted in an estimated 5,000 deaths as well as the abduction of thousands. Though a peace agreement was signed on July 7, 1999 between the government and the Revolutionary United Front, rogue military and rebels who have not been disarmed and demobilized are still at large throughout the country.
Africa remains a troubled continent. Poverty, disease, dictatorships, military coups, civil wars, wars between nations continue to cover much of the continent. What is certain is that history continues to repeat itself and shows no signs of reaching levels of peace and prosperity. Peace and economic development must be realized to end the plight of Africans. Hopefully, this can be realized with new leadership, the fostering of new ideas, political and economic plans and the help of the international community.
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