Africa must unite to escape exploitation by the West and East

Bob Marley's exhortation to African nations to unite has never been more urgent than now. The continent is weary of wars, fights and disputes that are inimical to its growth. 

Arguably the richest continent in terms of natural resources, Africa is dirt poor and destitute. It lacks the wherewithal to extract and turn those resources into wealth for its people, thus creating room for the West and the Orient to plunder them. 

Marley crooned that Africa must unite and move out of Babylon; that it would be good and pleasant, even before God, to see the unification of all Africans. This is particularly important today in the face of renewed machinations to fracture Africa even more. 

General Michael Langley, head of the US Africa Mission Command told the US Senate recently that Burkina Faso's President, Captain Ibrahim Traore, was misusing the country’s gold resources to protect himself. To many, these remarks are a pointer to the US's plan to topple him. They follow a familiar script, which Burkinabes have rubbished because Traore's achievements since he seized power in 2022 speak for themselves. 

The West's plunder of Africa's resources has been an ongoing process cunningly camouflaged by small conflagrations that have conveniently been baptised tribal wars. From the Democratic Republic of Congo to the two Sudans, Ethiopia, Cameroon and Nigeria, the illegal extraction of minerals has thrived under instigated chaos and distractions. 

Unexpectedly, Traore kicked France and its military out of Burkina Faso and established the country's first ever gold refinery after years of plunder by France. Chad President Mahamat Deby followed suit and denied France exclusive and exploitative mining rights. Tighter controls on immigration and mining rights in some African countries have suddenly alarmed a hitherto complacent West. 

General Langley's remarks have sparked fears of a return to the dark days of engineered coups when mercenaries had the run of Africa in countries whose presidents refused to bend to the will of the West. The US, for instance, spread improbable narratives about Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi being a dictator and violating human rights before toppling and killing him. 

The West also accused President Saddam Hussein of Iraq of amassing weapons of mass destruction before toppling and killing him too, but the weapons were never found. Former Burkina Faso President Thomas Sankara was taken out over advocacy for pan-Africanism. Libya and Iraq are worse today because of those actions. 

Africa's major problem is its avaricious leaders. They lack the will to protect Africa's natural resources and to develop their countries since their palms can be discreetly greased upon signing deals that mortgage Africa. Africa's trouble spots will only find peace when this primitive greed for wealth accumulation and external manipulation are subjugated. 

In his books, Megacorp and Carnage Merchants, investigative journalist Jonathan Black reveals how multinationals pay top politicians, military and police chiefs to look the other way while they plunder a country's resources. These multinationals often have bands of cutthroats in the mold of the infamous Colonel Mad Mike Hoare, aka the Jackal, to cause instability in targeted Third World countries. 

In his book Elephant Song, Wilbur Smith documents how elephants are decimated and ivory illegally taken out of Africa to the East under the supervision of top government officials charged with protecting Africa's endangered species. These books mirror the reality that confronts us. 

Gaddaffi advocated for a United Africa under a single president and currency, which the West couldn't countenance. A divided, warring Africa serves the interests of the West and East well, which is why they hardly interfere as Africans clobber each other. Instead, they supply them with weapons.

Africa must unite, speak in one voice and avoid pulling in different directions to stand strong against western exploitation and manipulation. Africa should take advantage of the fractionalism caused by Trumpism to rally, harness its potential and reclaim its rightful place in global rankings. African leaders must learn to gainfully manage the continents resources.