#BTEditorial – African leadership in Haiti peace plan

An increasing number of African nations are coming into their own and commanding their place on the world stage where their contribution to human and social development is being recognised.

Geopolitical astuteness is required as African leaders sift through to determine who is a real ally and who is seeking to exploit, while at the same time wielding a big stick or dagger in the background.

We have watched and applauded the push by Barbados to foster and, in some cases, expand diplomatic and development relationships with several nations on the African continent.

Reinforcing relationships with our kith and kin makes sense. With the world’s natural resources dwindling, the industrialised nations are turning to the African continent.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the largest reserves of cobalt, diamonds, platinum and uranium in the world are in Africa. The continent also holds 65 per cent of the world’s arable land and ten per cent of the planet’s internal renewable freshwater source. In most African countries, natural capital accounts for between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of total wealth.

Simply put, Africa is rich. Countries like China and Russia have moved swiftly to have African political leaders aligned with them, offering incentives – some of which are quite dubious – to achieve their ends. 

Africa is also the home of several billionaires who have built their wealth in manufacturing, oil and gas, metals and mining, fashion and retail, and fintech. Topping the list of Africa’s wealthiest is Nigerian Aliko Dangote with a net worth of US$13.5 billion, South African Johann Rupert with a net worth of US$10.7 billion, Nicky Oppenheimer who is worth US$8.4 billion and Nigeria’s Abdulsamad Rabiu with a net worth of US$7.6 billion. The list goes on, but we have made our point.

As African nations assert themselves, we are, therefore, not surprised by the initiative taken by Kenya to make good on an offer to aid our CARICOM neighbour Haiti in restoring law and order on the streets of its capital.

For more than two years, the situation in Port-au-Prince has deteriorated. Businesses are closing, citizens are unable to source food and other necessities, gang warfare and kidnappings are a daily occurrence, and aid groups are abandoning the most vulnerable citizens who depend heavily on assistance in order to survive.

The humanitarian disaster has resulted in a mass exodus of Haitians seeking refuge in Jamaica, The Bahamas and the United States as they try to escape the intolerable conditions.

CARICOM has offered to help but has acknowledged that its members lack the resources necessary to lead the operations with any kind of sustainable result. 

This week, leadership in Kenya made the bold move of actualising a promise made to send peace-keeping forces to Haiti. The United States, in turn, signed a defence agreement with the East African country to provide resources and other support required for the deployment.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Kenya’s Defence Minister Aden Duale signed an accord at a meeting in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. The agreement guides the two countries’ defence relations for the next five years.

Kenya’s decision to boldly step in and assist Haiti in such a tangible way with real boots on the ground is bound to build confidence and garner respect for the continent’s new generation of political leaders who are taking strategic steps to leverage their resources and political standing to make a positive difference.

Within hours of that announcement, Barbados also indicated that local troops would also be heading to Haiti to join a multi-national force seeking to bring about peacekeeping and stability where Haitian law enforcers are outmanned and outgunned.