Open World Conference of Workers
In Defense of Trade Union Independence & Democratic Rights
Special Session Concerning The Tragic Developments in Cote D'Ivoire and West Africa
January 26th, 2001
LYBON MABASA's TESTIMONY
Ladies and gentlemen, members of the Jury,
The testimonies raised the question of the specific role of institutions such as the World Bank, the
IMF, the OECD, the European Union and that of great powers in the tragic events in Africa today.
I would like to raise the question of the role of the UN on our continent. This is all the more important in my opinion as this institution has been led for several years now by an African man, M. Koffi
Annan.
The need to shed light on the role of this institution is all the more necessary as the UN has convened a World Conference against racism next September in Johannesburg (South Africa). If one wants to seriously deal with the question of racism, one cannot leave apart the question of the responsibility for the events affecting our continent, whose economic foundations, that is to say the plunder of Africa's resources, are more or less openly the relying on racist theories concerning the inferiority of Black peoples.
Ladies and gentlemen, members of the Jury,
UN interventions throughout the world since the sixties is a long one. I would like to draw your attention to some of them.
In the beginning of the sixties, the UN gave its mandate to a peace mission in ex Belgian Congo which had become independent. Facts have shown long ago that under cover of this mission, Patrice Lumumba was assassinated. The reign of M. Mobutu began with this assassination and all know the consequences it had for the Congolese people.
In the beginning of the seventies, the UN launched the first of a series of missions in Angola which had become independent. Mission after mission, one of the most murderous wars of the century is still going on.
In the beginning of the nineties, the UN mandated troops - mainly US - to intervene inn Somalia. The results are well known. Somalia has disappeared from the maps. War and violence have settle in that country for long.
Please let me add to this short survey of UN interventions the role of the UN in South Africa in junction with the apartheid regime. Embargo was decreed against that regime. This embargo was never respected, and merely allowed great powers which went on negotiating with the regime to show a clear conscience.
In 1993 - 1994, UN was in Rwanda at a time when one of the greatest genocide of history was being prepared. A recent report of an independent commission set up by the UN bring the undeniable proofs that the leaders of the "UN peace operations" (at that time M. Kofhi
Annan) were not only aware that a genocide was being prepared, but that knowing this they withdrew their troops. After the genocide, the UN gave to essentially French troops a mission called "Turquoise Mission ," which was in fact to protect the troops responsible for that genocide. After this mission was bone, war was installed for a long time in that region. The dismantling of former Zaire was beginning.
Ladies and gentlemen, members of the Jury,
What is the genuine role of UN and its permanent security council in the wars destroying Africa ?
I think that it is my duty to raise a few specific issues :
o Since the genocide in Rwanda, the UN has set up an International Tribunal charge of judging those responsible for it (in
Arusha, Tanzania). Rwanda people were arrested, judged and sometimes condemned. But the representatives of great powers never were asked to account for their participation in the selling of weapons to the genocide troops and then to the forces in war, neither were those who have evident responsibility in the long term installation of war in that region (inquiry commission made by the UN, the Belgian Senate, the French national assembly). And why the UN leaders themselves were not asked to testify themselves ? Why the UN General secretary simply write in his report of the millennium (September 2000) that "history will judge the leaders of developing countries. " What about the leaders of great powders, those who detail Africa murderous blows through colonialist plunder and structural adjustment plans?
o Another question : the UN are convening an "International conference on illegal weapon trading".
Ladies and gentlemen, members of the Jury,
Nobody can deny the ravages provoked by illegal weapon trading on our continent. But why tell nothing about the so-called "legal" weapon trading officially organised by great powers in conditions defined in the OECD report already quoted by the prosecutor, saying : "One must define good management criteria for public affairs which cannot be limited to the criteria of fundamental democratic legitimacy."
o What about the humanitarian aid organised by the UN and its agencies at a time when the UN general secretary acknowledges in his report that "whether those concerned are the government of those against the government, they all try to turn humanitarian aid into a tool for their own political ends, to gain economic advantage or retain the means to go on fighting. One of the biggest issue is to avoid the abusive use of the aid ending in
prolonging the conflict. When fighters take over the stores of a humanitarian organisation - and this is all too often the case - they don't only get food that way, but also vehicles, fresh money and other valuable things which can be turned into as much new means to go on with the conflict or intensify it. Thus in Liberia, the UN and NGOs have been robbed of goods evaluated over $ 8 million, including 500 vehicles, during the April and May 1995 confrontations. In the days and months which followed, fighters could often been see driving the robbed vehicles, while au flourishing Black market developed for selling other goods."
o Why does the UN General Secretary declares in his millennium report gains that "if Africa could not upgrade its productivity, it is because States tend to control tightly economic activities", although he knows perfectly well that in Africa, and especially in Ghana where he comes from, industrialisation process developed in the sixties due to the State intervention ?
How can he therefore support
privatisation?
In that same document, M. Koffi Anna assert that "the income per head in Africa increased by an average 1,5% a year in the sixties, and then fell by 1,2 % in the eighties..." This is precisely the time when privatisation process began.
o Now can one fight against war and the destruction of African countries if one does not consider the role played by the State created Labour code and statutes for civil servants, which united for a common protection workers of all ethnic or religious origins. What about the role of independent trade unions in the struggle to keep these gains ?
But in that same document on the millennium M. Koffi Annan and the UN propose to set up a World wide Pact associating:
"International professional associations : International Chamber of commerce, International Employers Association, World Firms Council for sustainable development, Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum, and Business for Social Responsibility. (..)
The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
Non governmental organisations intervening in the sectors of environment, human rights and development."
This means the end of independent trade unions.
o How can one say that one is moved by the weight of debt payment on African peoples on the one hand, while saying
(Kofi Annan in the Millennium report) : "Equity and transparency of the mangling of public expenses and tax system are necessary." This is quite clearly the expression of IMF and World Bank demands that a growing part of the budget should be ever more dedicated to debt payment and less and less to social expenses.
o How can one denounce on the one hand the fact that "a country wealthy with natural resources is led by a succession of military dictators who embezzle 27 billion dollars" (talking about Nigeria), ad remain silent about the fact that meanwhile the UN called upon the troops of these Nigerian dictators to organise peace missions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, where Nigerian troops martyred people and destroyed the land.
o How can one say on the one hand : "23 million out of the 36 million people with AIDS in the world live in Black Africa. In Ivory Coast, one teacher per day dies from AIDS throughout the school days. In
Bostwana, new born babies have a living expectation of 41 years instead of 70 because of AIDS. In Southern Africa the towns which are hit the hardest , one found 45% of pregnant women with AIDS. In that same region, 1 children and more out of 10 are without mother because of AIDS. In 2010, there should be 40 million orphans in Black Africa, essentially for that same reason. One must fear that these children will have more difficulties than others to follow their studies or to get vaccines and more chance to suffer seriously from malnutrition. Unfortunately, families headed by orphans less than 15 years old are numerous."
And on the other abstain to say that the UN should take as a stand that drugs against AIDS (and not only second rate drugs) should become human patrimony and be distributed freely ?
Ladies and gentlemen, members of the Jury,
Whereas the world summit against racism of the UN should take place on our continent next September
Whereas in the present conditions, one cannot obtain the answers to all these questions,
I suggest that the jury, beside its verdict, should ask for additional inquiry concerning the role of UN in Africa.