The Lampedusa tragedy: Result of UN legitimisation of colonial states

The colonial states : A European and UN crime against humanity

On 3 October 2013, the world woke up to the horror of the Lampedusa tragedy. But this is only one consequence of political choices by African and European leaders. The responsibility is shared.
Images of women’s and children’s heads floating on the water are the result of what Pope Francis recently called a deficit of ‘fraternal responsibility’ and ‘insensitivity to the cries of others.’ The tragedy of 3 October is first and foremost the logical consequence of the poverty and democratic deficit that characterises many African colonial states. The fundamental reasons that lead Africans to risk their own lives in order to ‘attack the European fortress’ are the actual difficult economic conditions and political persecution. But these directly appeal to the African elite in general and politicians in particular.
The Horn of Africa provides the best illustration of this bleak picture. Indeed, Somalia and Eritrea are characterised by chronic political instability. There is virtually no state embryo. These countries are almost in a state of systemic anarchy. They are armed and criminal gangs that have divided the territories that make the law. The situation in Algeria, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Congo, ….is not much better.

The West is only concerned with its own short-term interests

Of course, one cannot blame anyone trying to escape the clutches of gangs that cause famine and atrocities. But in these daily dramas, the West in general and Europe in particular have their share of responsibility. Indeed, those who think that the old continent should not accommodate all the world’s misery are not necessarily wrong. But they should bear in mind that much of the misery in the African world is caused by the European continent! The phenomenon began with the slave trade and continued during periods of colonisation and neocolonialism, expressed with the colonial states.

During these phases, the West has only been concerned with its own interests. To achieve what they want, they use all means, including the unworthy! Many situations of conflict and instability in Africa have their true origins north of the Mediterranean. Often for economic reasons, they are ready to ‘raise hell’ in countries that try to resist them. And now they have to barricade themselves, forcing migrants to use detours and take higher risks.

Article from October 2013, lost and found on 12 September 2024