Opinion

Comment: Complicit by Silence

In Burundi, people protesting against the President disappear. Across the continent, heads of state, using violence to cling to Power. What is the world doing? Not enough, says Dirce Köpp.

It makes you angry, this ruthless Adherence to the Power of some African heads of state. To integrate the opponent against gifts of Money, or attractive Items into the Regime, there is the friendly variant, to clear out unpleasant adversary out of the way. Most of it is more to do with violence, people disappear or are arbitrarily detained, threatened, or receive a “lesson” in the Form of a physical Assault. Even before the murder of some of the Regime does not shy away.

In Burundi, the political crisis has lasted for more than a year Since President Pierre Nkurunziza has announced that he wants to be for the third Time, the head of state in elections has been that anything other than free and fair, were, were killed, hundreds of people, hundreds of thousands fled, others disappeared had to and showed up one day, dead again. Therefore, there is an Outcry in the world? No. On the contrary, Burundi’s gone for months out of the headlines.

In Chad, the Opposition has complained only this week for the umpteenth Time, that your followers would be threatened. The Opposition is contesting the election victory Idriss Débys in the presidential election in April and declared that it would rather have to go to a runoff election between the two opposition politicians. President Déby is the same thing. He sees himself as a legitimate ruler – and have been for 26 years. France stops, therefore, its military cooperation with Chad? No. On the contrary, The French Minister of defence, was after the proclamation of the result to visit Deby, a strategic ally in the fight against terrorism.

Excitement? – Incorrect display

DW editor Dirce Köpp

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Joseph Kabila, has decided this week by the constitutional court, a free-ticket issue: If the elections were, must govern the President. A pleasant decision, because the President wanted to remain in office. And the court he had appointed. What the EU and Germany, accompanied in 2006 with the enormous expenses of the elections, in order to stabilize the Congo say? Nothing.

In Uganda was Yoweri Museveni for a fifth term of office swearing in. Had guest Omar even with an international arrest warrant, Sudanese dictator al-Bashir. At least that would have to be international excitement? .

Admittedly, the international community is to adopt sometimes the one or the other sanction, or stop the government-related development cooperation. In Chad, France has announced on Thursday (12.05.2016) after all, the unexplained Disappearance of soldiers after the presidential election to investigate. But the EU, African Union, United Nations and the donor countries – they all need to do more! Otherwise, you make yourself complicit. To human rights violations, undermining of democracy and loss of freedom of expression, to name just a few examples.

The fresh “Wind of change”, made in the 1990s, Africa was blowing and dictators fear, has long since become a crippling desert wind. The international community is complicit because they remain silent.