NATO's War Of Resources Is Causing A Humanitarian Crisis In West Africa
NEW YORK — (Analysis)
In late February 2017, Norway hosted an international humanitarian
conference on Nigeria and the Lake Chad region in hopes of attracting
major donors to fund relief work. As Norway’s Minister of Foreign
Affairs Børge Brende explained,
“The conference has three aims: to raise awareness about the crisis, to
gain more support for humanitarian efforts, and to secure greater
political commitment to improve the situation.”
Brende’s concern for the region may
be laudable. But no serious examination of the crisis in West Africa can
ignore the political and strategic calculus that surrounds the region.
As with all conflicts in Africa, questions about resource extraction and
neocolonial exploitation abound, with corrupt governments in the region
(and their backers in wealthy countries) making the discussion all the
more uncomfortable for the most privileged members of global society.
A real discussion of the issue would
highlight the questionable connections between regional governments and
the development of Boko Haram, the Nigerian terror group that is
responsible for much of the havoc being wreaked in the region. It would
note the vast energy deposits beneath Lake Chad that evoke an almost
Pavlovian response from the leaders of surrounding countries, blinded by
the dollar signs in their eyes. It would point out the moves that
former colonial powers in Europe are making within the region to enrich
themselves and expand their military presence, as well as increase their
influence and political power.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power speaks with
Multinational Joint Task Force Commander Maj. Gen. Lamidi Adeosun,
right, as she departs their headquarters in N’Djamena, Chad,, April 20,
2016. (AP/Andrew Harnik)
