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US/Africa: Anti-War Statements, 1
AFRICA ACTION
Africa Policy E-Journal
March 7, 2003 (030307)
US/Africa: Anti-War Statements, 1
(Reposted from sources cited below)
This posting contains a press release from Africa Action and
TransAfrica Forum, the texts of letters from Africa Action,
TransAfrica Forum, African American leaders, and the Advocacy
Network for Africa, as well as a statement from the Angola Peace
Network. Other postings today contain excerpts from an interview
with the outgoing Nigerian ambassador to the United States
and a background report from the Association of Concerned Africa
Scholars on U.S. military programs in sub-Saharan Africa.
+++++++++++++++++end summary/introduction+++++++++++++++++++++++
March 7, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Africa Action 202/546 7961
TransAfrica Forum 202/223 1960 Ext. 113
African American Leaders & Africa advocacy groups call on African
Members of UN Security Council to Vote Against War
Letters to African Ambassadors warn of devastating consequences of
war for Africa; Urge support for peaceful resolution to current
crisis
Friday, March 7, 2003 (Washington, DC) - Africa Action today
joined with TransAfrica Forum and other key Africa advocacy
organizations in sending letters to the Ambassadors of the African
countries on the United Nations (UN) Security Council, urging them
to oppose U.S.-led moves toward war against Iraq. Signatories to
the letters also include such prominent individuals as Danny
Glover, Mary Francis Berry, Joseph E. Lowery, Walter Mosley &
Sylvia Hill.
The letters to the Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives of
Guinea, Cameroon and Angola warn that a war in the Middle East
will have devastating economic and political consequences for
Africa. They urge the African states to stand firm against
pressure from the U.S. and Britain, and to promote a course that
will encourage a peaceful resolution of this international
dispute.
In a letter initiated by Africa Action and TranAfrica Forum,
signatories declared that war against Iraq would be "unwelcome and
unwarranted." They note that, "At least 81% of African-Americans
oppose the planned war...(and) around the globe, millions of people
have stood up in opposition to this planned aggression."
The letter emphasizes that, "Africa, in particular, would suffer
significantly from the global economic consequences of war at a
time when Africans are facing the truly greatest global threat to
human security, namely the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This should be the
scourge receiving the attention and resources that have been
devoted instead to debating and designing interventions against
Iraq."
In a separate letter initiated by the Advocacy Network for Africa
(ADNA), a national network of more than 200 Africa-focused
organizations of which Africa Action is a member, endorsers affirm
their solidarity with the people of Guinea, Cameroon and Angola,
asserting that "a policy of pre-emptive war violates the principles
upon which the United Nations was founded, and it will create a
dangerous precedent."
The letter continues: "We are convinced that your governments'
having the courage to stand for peace will not only contribute to
a peaceful resolution in this case, it will also strengthen
African voices in international forums in the future."
The letters were endorsed by dozens of organizations and activists
from across the U.S. The text of the letters and the full list of
signatories of the first letter are included below.
March 7, 2003
To the Governments of Guinea, Cameroon and Angola
Dear President Lansana Conte, President Paul Biya, and President
José Eduardo dos Santos:
As African-American leaders and activists we urgently call upon
your governments to stand firm against the efforts by the United
States, Britain and Spain to undermine the work of the United
Nations' weapons inspectors now working in Iraq and to initiate a
war against Iraq.
We understand that your respective governments are under
considerable pressure from the United States and Britain to support
their resolution designed to authorize war with Iraq. We believe
that this would be a terrible mistake. The USA and Britain are
committed to commencing a war that breaks all international laws
and precedent. It is a war that is not based on a real threat to
Iraq's neighbors or to other countries. Indeed none of Iraq's
neighbors have made a call for an international military
mobilization against the Baathist regime in Iraq.
As you may know, there is considerable opposition within the USA
to the planned war. At least 81% of African Americans oppose the
planned war. Support within the rest of the country for war is
extremely limited, with answers to polling questions varying
dramatically depending on how the questions are phrased. And, as
you certainly know, around the globe, millions of people have stood
up in opposition to this planned war.
We believe that the U.S. and British effort to initiate a world war
in the Middle East is not only unwarranted and unwelcome, but also
that it will have devastating economic and social consequences for
the most impoverished and most vulnerable citizens and countries
throughout the world. Africa, in particular, would suffer
significantly from the global economic consequences of war at a
time when Africans are facing the truly greatest global threat to
human security, namely the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This should be the
scourge receiving the attention and resources that have been
devoted instead to debating and designing interventions against
Iraq.
We hope that with Guinea taking over the Chairmanship of the
Security Council this month, that the African members will provide
the necessary leadership to avoid a war that will be especially
antithetical to the interests of African and Arab peoples, and
disastrous for the rest of the world.
We hope that in the consideration of this matter that you decline
to support the US/British/Spanish initiative and will, instead,
promote a course that encourages the peaceful resolution of this
international dispute.
Respectfully submitted by,
Mary Frances Berry, University of Pennsylvania*
Salih Booker, Executive Director, Africa Action
Bill Fletcher, Jr., President, TransAfrica Forum
Patricia Ford, Executive Vice President, Service Employees
International Union*
Danny Glover, Actor/Activist
Richard Gordon Hatcher, President of National Civil Rights Hall of
Fame; Valparaiso University School of Law*
Sylvia Hill, University of the District of Columbia*
Jesse L. Jackson, Founder and President, Rainbow/Push Coalition
Joseph E. Lowery, Co-Founder and President Emeritus, SCLC;
Chairman Emeritus Black Leadership Forum
Julianne Malveaux, Economist/Author
Fred Mason, Maryland/DC AFL-CIO*
Walter Mosley, Author
Harold Rogers, International Affairs Director of the Foreign
Affairs Committee and Executive Board Member of the Coalition of
Black Trade Unionists
Damu Smith, Founder, Black Voices for Peace
(*--signifies for identification only)
The Advocacy Network for Africa
c/o The Washington Office on Africa
212 East Capitol Street - Washington, D.C. 20003, U.S.A.
Phone: 202/547-7503 - Fax: 202/547-7505
E-Mail: [email protected]
March 7, 2003
Ambassador Mohamed Aly Thiam
Embassy of the Republic of Guinea
2112 Leroy Place NW
Washington, DC 20008
Dear Ambassador Thiam:
The Advocacy Network for Africa (ADNA), originally founded in the
late seventies as the anti-apartheid South Africa Working Group, is
a network of 231 US-based human rights, religious, developmentoriented
and other organizations working with African colleagues
and networks to address common concerns regarding US-Africa
policy. Thirty to forty representatives of these organizations
meet monthly in Washington to discuss current issues and to
coordinate common advocacy. We share a passion for and a
commitment to political, social and economic justice for Africans
and a more just and mutually beneficial relationship between the
US and African countries.
We come today to express our solidarity with the people of Guinea
as decisions are reached regarding Security Council actions on the
Iraqi question. We believe, as do you, that peace should be given
a chance in Iraq. We note approvingly the action of the African
Union meetings in Addis Ababa last month, where heads of state and
government urged all parties to make sustained efforts to avoid the
use of force and reaffirmed the central role of the United Nations
and, particularly, the Security Council, in any action or
initiative aimed at maintaining and strengthening peace and
international security.
Not only will a war against Iraq bring humanitarian catastrophe of
great magnitude; it will also create reactions that no one can
predict or control. It has the potential to threaten to
destabilize African countries politically, and it will affect
African economies negatively. At least 13 African countries lost
1% of their GDP due to spikes in oil prices during the 1991 Gulf
War, and there is no reason not to expect similar difficulties
now. Moreover, a policy of pre-emptive war violates the
principles upon which the United Nations was founded, and it will
create a dangerous precedent.
We therefore urge you to hold firm to those principles. No doubt
there are risks for Guinea should you challenge our government's
preparations for pre-emptive war and thereby refuse to serve the
narrow self-interest of our government. We are convinced,
however, that your government's having the courage to stand for
peace will not only contribute to a peaceful resolution in this
case, it will also strengthen African voices in international
forums in future. Such an affirmation of our common humanity is
the true sign of Security Council relevance.
Please accept this letter as a respectful expression of our
concerns and hopes.
On behalf of my colleagues at ADNA, I am
Yours sincerely,
Leon P. Spencer Co-facilitator of ADNA and
Executive Director Washington Office on Africa
Cc: Permanent Mission of the Republic of Guinea to the UN;
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Angola to the UN; Permanent
Mission of the Republic of Cameroon to the UN; Ambassador of the
Republic of Angola; Ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon
Declaration Against War in the World
February 15, 2003
[This statement was received from the Angolan Peace Network through
AfricaFiles in Toronto (http://www.africafiles.org). Thanks to
Thomas Brown for the translation from Portuguese.]
Luanda
February 15/03
Inter-Church Committee for Peace in Angola.
Luanda, Angola
To: His Excellency Dr. Kofi Annan,
Secretary-General, United Nations.
Subject: Declaration Against War in the World
Excellency:
The world has today, February 15, 2003, marked the United Nations
Day Against War, at a time when Angolans are experiencing the
transition from a situation of war to one of peace, even though the
armed conflict yet continues in one part of our national territory.
Looking at the various conflicts in the world the Peace Network, as
a living force in Angola civil society which struggled to bring
about peace in Angola, notes with great pre-occupation that the
world continues divided between those countries which as a result
of their resources and their geo-strategic importance are of major
importance to the super-powers and those, which given their small
economic importance are not represented by the economic interests
of the powers of this time.
The imminent attack by the United States and its allies on Iraq and
the war in the Middle East (between Palestinians and Israelies)
today dominates the calendar of the United Nations and the
international press, to the detriment of the long-standing
conflicts in other parts of the globe, especially Africa, where
wars never stop as a result of a lack of serious intervention and
an investment of the resources and time, with a vision of finding
ways conducive to the search for a genuine and lasting peace in
these countries.
In our African continent, of which Your Excellency is a beloved
son, countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi,
Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Somalia and Liberia, to name a few,
continue to bleed because of the wars whose consequences are
catastrophic, placing the people of these countries in a situation
of total dependence and sub-human conditions. Sadly the connivance
of the international community does not allow us to discern on the
horizon an immediate end to these conflicts.
As a people still emerging from a fratricidal war of 27 years, as
well as the other wars which preceded it due to the resistance
against Portuguese colonialism, Angolans know well the deathly
results of any war. Thus we believe the justifications of a war,
however objective, do not diminish the destructive character of
war, nor diminish its immoral character.
As agents of peace we are convinced that violence only generates
more violence and for this reason we vehemently repudiate the
attack which is being perpetrated against the sovereign state of
Iraq, and call on the Security Council to use its power and mandate
to promote world peace and stop the use of force against the
martyred people of Iraq, since there has not been until now
convincing reasons which justify such outrageous acts against a
sovereign people.
We repeat our appeal to the United Nations, as a legitimate
representative of the aspirations of the world�s people, to
strengthen further this peace in the whole region of the Middle
East, particularly for the people of Palestine and Israel who for
50 years have lived on the edge of an explosion.
In face of the inherent pre-occupation for universal survival we
cannot allow, on the part of anyone, that we be diverted from the
great struggles of humanity today, namely: the fight against
poverty, drugs and the traffic in children and the great epidemics
such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, as well as those
efforts which are yet to be made for the establishment of
governance which is just and participatory in this global village
and respect, for all, of a international judicial order.
We entreat the Permanent and Non-Permanent of the Security Council,
especially those from Africa (Angola, Cameroon and Guinea) to
re-affirm the commitment of the Organization of African Unity at
its recent extraordinary assembly in its voting against any war
effort.
Luanda, February 15, 2003,
For the Peace Network,
Dr. Daniel Ntoni-Nzinga,
Executive Secretary, COIEPA
+++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++
Date distributed (ymd): 030307
Region: Continent-Wide
Issue Areas: +political/rights+ +security/peace+ +US policy focus+
The Africa Action E-Journal is a free information service
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commentary and reposted documents. Africa Action provides this
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international policies toward Africa that advance economic,
political and social justice and the full spectrum of
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