07-09-2016, 09:12 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-10-2016, 08:58 AM by John J. Xenakis.)
*** 10-Jul-16 World View -- Violence resurges in Central African Republic's crisis civil war
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Violence resurges in Central African Republic's crisis civil war
****
![[Image: g160709b.jpg]](http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g160709b.jpg)
United Nations in Chad registering refugees fleeing from violence in Chad (UNHCR)
More than 6,000 people from the Central African Republic's northwest
Ouham-Pendé province, near the border with Cameroon, have fled into
Cameroon and Chad to escape resurging violence between Muslim Seleka
militias and Christian anti-balaka militias.
Last year, United Nations officials had hoped that a visit by the Pope
in November, and the election of a new president, Faustin-Archange
Touadéra, in December, would bring an end to the violence between
Muslims and Christians in Central African Republic (CAR). Touadéra
has been trying to reconcile Christians and Muslims. He was even seen
celebrating the end of Ramadan with Muslims in the capital city
Bangui.
The hope was that Christians whose villages were burned to the ground
by Muslim militias, and Muslims whose families were raped, murdered
and dismembered by Christian militias, will all put aside any desire
for revenge, thanks to the soothing words of the Pope and the
charismatic hope and change statements of the new president.
Apparently it didn't work.
This year alone, some 25,000-30,000 people have been internally
displaced, forced to flee from their homes. But the flood of refugees
into neighboring countries began on June 12, when clashes erupted
between Muslim livestock herders and Christian farmers north-west town
of Ngaoundaye, in Ouham-Pendé province.
Battles between farmers and herders occur in country after country, as
I've described many times in Central African Republic, Rwanda,
Burundi, Kenya, Sudan, and even America in the 1800s. The farmers
accuse the herders of letting the cattle eat their crops, while the
herders accuse the farmers of planting on land that's meant for
grazing. If the farmers put up fences, then the herders knock them
down.
The CAR sectarian war began in March 2013, when François Bozizé, the
Christian former president of CAR, was ousted in a coup in March 2013
by Michel Djotodia, a Muslim, who became president and served until
January 2014.
After Djotodia's coup took place in March 2013, Muslim Seleka militias
began committing atrocities, particularly targeting the Christian
constituencies of the deposed François Bozizé. In December 2013,
French Foreign Legion peacekeeping troops arrived to disarm the Seleka
militias.
But then the Christian anti-balaka militias "rushed into the vacuum,"
and began committing atrocities in 2014, for revenge against the
Selekas. Since then, both Christians and Muslims have been committing
atrocities, and it's become a full-scale generational crisis war.
Thousands have been killed, and millions have been displaced.
As I've explained in the past, CAR's last generational crisis war was
the 1928-1931 Kongo-Wara Rebellion ("War of the Hoe Handle"), which
was a very long time ago, putting CAR today deep into a generational
Crisis era, where a new crisis civil war has already started.
Many people had been hoping that the UN peacekeeping force, the Pope's
visit, the election of a new president would somehow combine to
tranquilize the fighting and end the civil war. However, the Pope's
visit was to the capital city Bangui, the new president is sitting in
Bangui, with little control over the rest of the country, and the
peacekeeping force is just in Bangui, and has been only partially
successful in keeping the peace there. Bangui is a tiny dot on the
map of an enormous country that's now completely lawless, with two
militias in large populations seeking revenge.
From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, this is a
generational crisis war, and it will not end until a lot of scores get
settled with some kind of massive bloody, genocidal climax that will
be remembered for decades. And CAR is nowhere close to that point
yet. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Deutsche Welle and VOA
****
**** In Darfur Sudan, genocidal violence continues after 13 years of civil war
****
The huge civil war in Darfur, Sudan, was much in the news ten years
ago. In 2007, just as President Bush was launching the "surge" that
ended the violence in Iraq, Senator Joe Biden called for a complete
withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq, and then use those troops
to launch an invasion into Sudan to put an end to the Darfur war.
"Let's stop the bleeding," Biden said. "I think it's a moral
imperative." (From April 2007: "Senator Joe Biden wants to move troops from Iraq to Darfur civil war"
)
In fact, the Darfur civil war has many things in common with the
CAR civil war.
Low level violence began in the 1970s between two ethnic groups, one
of farmers (the "Africans") and the other of camel herders (the
"Arabs"), in the usual disputes over land and water. The violence
increased from year to year, and in the 1990s, Sudan's government in
Khartoum delegated the responsibility of policing the region to the
Arab Janjaweed militias, formed from certain groups of herders.
Violence continued to increase, and by 2003, it had turned into a
full-scale generational crisis war. (A detailed history can be found
in my 2007 article, "Ban Ki Moon blames Darfur genocide on global warming"
) At that point,
under direction of the new president Omar al-Bashir, the Janjaweed
militias (herders) became extremely violent, with a program of
massacres, mass murders, rapes, genocide and scorched earth.
Today, al-Bashir has renamed the Janjaweed militias as the Rapid
Support Force (RSF), and they are still committing genocide in Darfur,
although that violence isn't in news much anymore, as it was in the
days when Joe Biden took an interest in it. As in the case of CAR,
the war will not end until a lot of scores get settled with some kind
of massive bloody, genocidal climax that will be remembered for
decades. Sudan Tribune and World Policy Institute (30-Mar
****
**** European Union will pay Sudan's militias to block migration to Europe
****
The European Commission has issued a draft proposal to provide €100
million in aid to the militaries of some African countries, who
will be asked to use the money to prevent migration of refugees to
Libya and then on to Europe.
As I like to point out, almost every day something new happens that a
few years ago you would have to have been crazy to believe would ever
happen. Whether it's in America, Europe, Africa, the Mideast or Asia,
things that could never happen are happening all the time.
A particular beneficiary of the EU's aid program will be Sudan's
president Omar al-Bashir, and his government militia, the Rapid
Support Force (RSF), led by a former leader of the Janjaweed militias
general Mohamed Hamdan Hametti. Hametti will send around 1,000 RSF
troops along the border with Libya. Both al-Bashir and Hametti are
considered to be guilty of human rights crimes and genocidal violence
against civilians in the Darfur civil war. EU Observer
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Central African Republic, CAR, Ouham-Pendé province,
Chad, Cameroon, Muslim Seleka militias, Christian anti-balaka militias,
Faustin-Archange Touadéra, François Bozizé, Michel Djotodia,
Kongo-Wara Rebellion, War of the Hoe Handle, Bangui,
Darfur, Sudan, Joe Biden, Omar al-Bashir, Janjaweed militias,
Rapid Support Force, RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Hametti, Libya,
Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Violence resurges in Central African Republic's crisis civil war
- In Darfur Sudan, genocidal violence continues after 13 years of civil war
- European Union will pay Sudan's militias to block migration to Europe
****
**** Violence resurges in Central African Republic's crisis civil war
****
United Nations in Chad registering refugees fleeing from violence in Chad (UNHCR)
More than 6,000 people from the Central African Republic's northwest
Ouham-Pendé province, near the border with Cameroon, have fled into
Cameroon and Chad to escape resurging violence between Muslim Seleka
militias and Christian anti-balaka militias.
Last year, United Nations officials had hoped that a visit by the Pope
in November, and the election of a new president, Faustin-Archange
Touadéra, in December, would bring an end to the violence between
Muslims and Christians in Central African Republic (CAR). Touadéra
has been trying to reconcile Christians and Muslims. He was even seen
celebrating the end of Ramadan with Muslims in the capital city
Bangui.
The hope was that Christians whose villages were burned to the ground
by Muslim militias, and Muslims whose families were raped, murdered
and dismembered by Christian militias, will all put aside any desire
for revenge, thanks to the soothing words of the Pope and the
charismatic hope and change statements of the new president.
Apparently it didn't work.
This year alone, some 25,000-30,000 people have been internally
displaced, forced to flee from their homes. But the flood of refugees
into neighboring countries began on June 12, when clashes erupted
between Muslim livestock herders and Christian farmers north-west town
of Ngaoundaye, in Ouham-Pendé province.
Battles between farmers and herders occur in country after country, as
I've described many times in Central African Republic, Rwanda,
Burundi, Kenya, Sudan, and even America in the 1800s. The farmers
accuse the herders of letting the cattle eat their crops, while the
herders accuse the farmers of planting on land that's meant for
grazing. If the farmers put up fences, then the herders knock them
down.
The CAR sectarian war began in March 2013, when François Bozizé, the
Christian former president of CAR, was ousted in a coup in March 2013
by Michel Djotodia, a Muslim, who became president and served until
January 2014.
After Djotodia's coup took place in March 2013, Muslim Seleka militias
began committing atrocities, particularly targeting the Christian
constituencies of the deposed François Bozizé. In December 2013,
French Foreign Legion peacekeeping troops arrived to disarm the Seleka
militias.
But then the Christian anti-balaka militias "rushed into the vacuum,"
and began committing atrocities in 2014, for revenge against the
Selekas. Since then, both Christians and Muslims have been committing
atrocities, and it's become a full-scale generational crisis war.
Thousands have been killed, and millions have been displaced.
As I've explained in the past, CAR's last generational crisis war was
the 1928-1931 Kongo-Wara Rebellion ("War of the Hoe Handle"), which
was a very long time ago, putting CAR today deep into a generational
Crisis era, where a new crisis civil war has already started.
Many people had been hoping that the UN peacekeeping force, the Pope's
visit, the election of a new president would somehow combine to
tranquilize the fighting and end the civil war. However, the Pope's
visit was to the capital city Bangui, the new president is sitting in
Bangui, with little control over the rest of the country, and the
peacekeeping force is just in Bangui, and has been only partially
successful in keeping the peace there. Bangui is a tiny dot on the
map of an enormous country that's now completely lawless, with two
militias in large populations seeking revenge.
From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, this is a
generational crisis war, and it will not end until a lot of scores get
settled with some kind of massive bloody, genocidal climax that will
be remembered for decades. And CAR is nowhere close to that point
yet. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Deutsche Welle and VOA
****
**** In Darfur Sudan, genocidal violence continues after 13 years of civil war
****
The huge civil war in Darfur, Sudan, was much in the news ten years
ago. In 2007, just as President Bush was launching the "surge" that
ended the violence in Iraq, Senator Joe Biden called for a complete
withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq, and then use those troops
to launch an invasion into Sudan to put an end to the Darfur war.
"Let's stop the bleeding," Biden said. "I think it's a moral
imperative." (From April 2007: "Senator Joe Biden wants to move troops from Iraq to Darfur civil war"
)
In fact, the Darfur civil war has many things in common with the
CAR civil war.
Low level violence began in the 1970s between two ethnic groups, one
of farmers (the "Africans") and the other of camel herders (the
"Arabs"), in the usual disputes over land and water. The violence
increased from year to year, and in the 1990s, Sudan's government in
Khartoum delegated the responsibility of policing the region to the
Arab Janjaweed militias, formed from certain groups of herders.
Violence continued to increase, and by 2003, it had turned into a
full-scale generational crisis war. (A detailed history can be found
in my 2007 article, "Ban Ki Moon blames Darfur genocide on global warming"
) At that point,
under direction of the new president Omar al-Bashir, the Janjaweed
militias (herders) became extremely violent, with a program of
massacres, mass murders, rapes, genocide and scorched earth.
Today, al-Bashir has renamed the Janjaweed militias as the Rapid
Support Force (RSF), and they are still committing genocide in Darfur,
although that violence isn't in news much anymore, as it was in the
days when Joe Biden took an interest in it. As in the case of CAR,
the war will not end until a lot of scores get settled with some kind
of massive bloody, genocidal climax that will be remembered for
decades. Sudan Tribune and World Policy Institute (30-Mar
****
**** European Union will pay Sudan's militias to block migration to Europe
****
The European Commission has issued a draft proposal to provide €100
million in aid to the militaries of some African countries, who
will be asked to use the money to prevent migration of refugees to
Libya and then on to Europe.
As I like to point out, almost every day something new happens that a
few years ago you would have to have been crazy to believe would ever
happen. Whether it's in America, Europe, Africa, the Mideast or Asia,
things that could never happen are happening all the time.
A particular beneficiary of the EU's aid program will be Sudan's
president Omar al-Bashir, and his government militia, the Rapid
Support Force (RSF), led by a former leader of the Janjaweed militias
general Mohamed Hamdan Hametti. Hametti will send around 1,000 RSF
troops along the border with Libya. Both al-Bashir and Hametti are
considered to be guilty of human rights crimes and genocidal violence
against civilians in the Darfur civil war. EU Observer
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Central African Republic, CAR, Ouham-Pendé province,
Chad, Cameroon, Muslim Seleka militias, Christian anti-balaka militias,
Faustin-Archange Touadéra, François Bozizé, Michel Djotodia,
Kongo-Wara Rebellion, War of the Hoe Handle, Bangui,
Darfur, Sudan, Joe Biden, Omar al-Bashir, Janjaweed militias,
Rapid Support Force, RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Hametti, Libya,
Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
