In a book published in 2019 (The 8 Habits of Highly Ineffective People) I listed 8 traits easily observable among “backward” or “underdeveloped” groups, communities, nations and regions of the world. One of such traits is that they are quick to fight among themselves while fraternizing with outsiders or distant powers. Infact, they often team up with foreigners to fight or destabilize one another. This leaves them weaker and prone to manipulation from abroad. This behavioral.pattern was termed “Internal fragmentation and external fraternization.”
Today, a military coup in the Niger Republic has put the country in the eye of the storm. Several neighboring African countries, under the aegis of ECOWAS, are willing to fight ostensibly to restore “democracy.” But beneath the surface, everyone knows that democracy is not the issue. If it was, many say, why haven’t Western democracies opposed the electoral robbery by Bola Tinubu in Nigeria’s recent presidential election?
In truth, France, USA and other Western countries are more interested in controlling Niger’s Uranium and other rare earth minerals than ensuring proper governance for its peoples. Russia is anxiously waiting in the wings to take its pound of flesh from France, USA and NATO in general for sabotaging her own imperial ambitions in Ukraine. ECOWAS and Nigeria may just be used to fight a proxy war.
Below is an excerpt from the book, (available on www.amazon.com) which puts the unfolding drama in broader perspective. It points to a new pathway for African emancipation and global peace. Happy reading.
“For many years, the people of South Sudan fought a bitter civil war against their erstwhile countrymen from the north. Their mission: freedom from ethnic suffocation, religious domination and economic exploitation. In 2010, South Sudan gained independence and became the world’s youngest country. But less than three years after, the drum beats of civil war rose again. This time, ethnic Neur and ethnic Dinka are killing each other over political positions. The President and Vice President, Dinka and Neur respectively, do not see eye to eye. The country is bitterly divided once again along sectional lines. It does not matter that both groups are predominantly Negroid and Christian. Nor does it matter that there is now significantly more oil revenue to go round.
“South Sudan presents modern classic symptoms of internal fragmentation and mutual loathing quite common in under-developed communities of the world. Instead of uniting internally to overcome external threats, there is a tendency to fragment internally and collaborate with external forces against “enemies” within. This leaves such societies highly vulnerable.
“From Central Africa Republic (CAR) to Congo, Rwanda, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Colombia, Myanmar, old Czechoslovakia and just about every other conflict spot on the globe; people who fight over everything from peanuts to power roughly approximate the least developed.
“By contrast, consider the cases of North America and Europe. North America (USA & Canada) has not been the theatre of a major military conflict since the American Civil War of 1864. Since the Second World War ended in 1945, Europe has not hosted any other major wars – except for the conflict in the former Yugoslavia which was quickly halted. Without doubt, this is one reason both continents have flourished by comparison to the rest of the world. Clearly, there is an inverse relationship between conflict (especially internal) and development.
“It is quite possible that if African societies had formed alliances to resist it, European colonization would either have failed or would have been much less successful on the continent. Each colonizing nation had limited resources in men and materials to commit to the venture. They would have pulled back at their elastic limits – as demonstrated when the Ethiopians fought off the Italians. But Europe was pleasantly surprised by the feeble resistance it encountered on the continent. It found that Africans easily collaborated with intruders to undo fellow Africans. There was no need to move in large armies to accomplish their goals. All they had to do was to gain a foothold somewhere, usually around the coast, then send in a few officers to recruit and train young, able-bodied locals in appropriate military discipline and equipment use. By so doing, they got free intelligence and manpower from one kingdom to overcome the other! Africa subsequently fell like a pack of cards between 1885 and 1900. A mere fifteen years!
“Europe similarly turned on itself in the first and second world wars with dire consequences. In the latter, Germany turned against Poland and France. Britain turned its guns on Germany. Germany and Italy turned against Britain and the rest of Europe…
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“Before long, far away Japan allied with the Germans and Italians and hit the US. The Americans and Russians joined forces with Britain and the rest of Europe to fight Germany, Italy and Japan. Human civilization went up in smoke. Lesson: There is great wisdom in the biblical exhortation, “Love thy neighbor.” It is not just an act of generosity and selflessness. It is, just as importantly, an act of self-preservation and common sense. There are no winners in war. All are losers.”
Victor Anazonwu is an author of four books which examine the human developmental challenge. He can be reached on victor.elipses@gmail.com
