Good News Out of Africa: CAR, DRC and Nigeria

For once there are good reports coming from Africa. Over the past several months a peace has been negotiated in the Central African Republic. Let us hope it holds.

And yet there are dubious aspects to the arrangement. One, France has been able to expand its ever growing Neo-Colonial footprint in Africa. Normally Neo-Colonialism refers to the corporate and governmental administrations still deeply connected to the Colonising state, allowing it to influence its affairs. Banking, currency, education and work visas also play a significant role in this mechanism. But in the wake of the Arab Spring, France has increased its military presence in West Africa and is beginning to look more and more like a stripped down, lean but mean colonial power.

Many of the Christians in the CAR got caught up in the violence. Hopefully the peace will bring about a time of not only reconciliation but reflection. For the sake of the larger Church, we'll hope Tony Blair and his corrupt 'faith' foundation abandon the continent. His solutions are not solutions at all but a vehicle for Anglo-American interests and his own corrupt business dealings.

It would appear the election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has passed without incident and everyone is breathing a sigh of relief... but not entirely. Martin Fayulu disputes the results and considering that he's backed by the very powerful Roman Catholic Church, the story might not be over. While Rome is likely reticent to encourage unrest, Rome's voice in Africa is not united and there are many powerful interests at work... both within and without the Roman Catholic hierarchy and its massive array of financial and business interests. The situation remains volatile and yet the more time that passes, the better chance for a peaceful transition. This will not solve the ongoing problems in the eastern provinces but considering what could have happened if the elections had immediately turned violent... it would seem Sub-Saharan Africa has dodged a bullet.

Finally the Nigeria election seems to have also passed without too many hitches. The delay was certainly suspicious and resulted in a huge drop in voter turnout. Buhari has retained power for now and at this point the West seeks stability and a friend who will allow them to expand their military (and economic) presence. Buhari, despite his questionable record, dubious positions and even tentative health is certainly willing and thus while Africa's wars will certainly continue and its troubles remain pervasive, all three of these scenarios represented actual and potentially serious threats. If things had gone wrong, a new series of wars and conflicts would have resulted and carnage would most certainly have followed.

This is not to downplay the ongoing massacres of Nigerian Christians at the hands of Boko Haram and the Fulani tribesmen. Buhari himself is a Fulani and there are suspicions with regard to his policy. Nigerian Christians are caught in the middle of an ever expanding contest for Africa. There are religious aspects but it's actually a bigger and more complex conflict concerning the legacies of colonialism, resources and clash of cultures. The situation is tragic and yet always has the potential to get worse. Given what could have happened had the CAR conflict escalated and had the Nigerian and DRC elections turned violent... we can be thankful even if in a very limited sense. This provides little comfort to those suffering but in terms of the big picture there is some positive news.