It would almost be funny were it not so sad.
I come across many people on an almost-daily basis that have travelled from
beyond the continent to Africa to witness “first-hand” the problems the
continent has. Some are businessmen, some are academics, some are members of
NGOs and some are from foreign government PMCs.
Almost to a man (or woman), they become “specialists” in African
politics and security-related matters only a few days after having set foot on
the continent. They firmly believe that they understand our problems better
than we do, they have all the solutions and know exactly how our future will
look if only we would listen to them. They question but then immediately disregard
the answers they get as it does not match with their perceived reality – which
is often totally removed from our reality. It is not uncommon to get a response
to an answer to the effect that “No, you are wrong. I read on … (chose your
search engine) what your problems are”
Many of these newly-born specialists may be well-meaning in their
intentions but their actions often result in fuelling already volatile
situations or they grossly miscalculate the diverse and complex environment
they have entered. But being specialists, they believe they can solve the
problem they themselves created and then make it even worse.
Apart from the many tourists that visit Africa, everyone else has one
goal tied to their visit: to make money. On the surface, there is nothing wrong
with that as we all work to make a profit. However, when they intend to make
their money by manipulation, bad advice, acting with little or no integrity,
promoting suspicion and even by blatantly lying, my hackles begin to rise. Sadly,
some of these charlatans get appointed to serve as “specialist government
advisors”. They develop hypothetical solutions to overcome imaginary problems
and then implement their “solutions” regardless of reality.
These problems are very prevalent in the intelligence, military and law
enforcement areas. Of course they are found in the other sectors as well but as
we work in the listed fields, this is where I know I am treading on familiar
ground.
As we have numerous ears on the ground as well as many friends across
the continent, we regard ourselves as fairly well informed. It is, therefore,
not unusual for us to be given advance warning of a potential conflict or
problem brewing in or close to a certain country. If we can confirm the
information we are given, we warn the targeted government that problems are
marching towards their horizon. At times, this intelligence is acted on. On
other occasions, this intelligence is discussed with foreign governments who then
refute our warnings and claim that we are conducting a disinformation campaign
in order to get a contract.
The recent situation in Mali is a good example of intelligence being
disregarded and bad advice from “specialists” heeded. Most everyone knows how
that panned out. Were it not for the intervention of the French forces, the
situation would be vastly different to what it currently is. But that conflict
is not over yet.
We have been trying to warn another government of a pending coup but
they have been advised by their “advisors” and “specialists” not to talk to us.
Numerous other examples exist but I shall refrain from listing them in case the
governments we warned are actually seriously considering our warnings.
Many will claim that we warn governments simply to get a contract. I
know of several people and/or organisations that have made it their mission to
make these claims and try to influence governments not to listen to what we
have to say or to discredit us. These individuals and /or organisations are
likewise “specialists” on both me and our company. They know more about me than
I know about myself. But, truth be told, there is no way we could accept that
many contracts from so many governments.
Back to reality: Much of the so-called specialist advice given to
African governments is aimed at ensuring conflicts either start or escalate.
Peace does not enter the equation although it is bandied about as a buzzword -
yet it remains ever elusive. Attention is often diverted from existing problems
by creating new problems. Conflict and war implies large profits – and the
longer these conflicts continue, the longer the profits roll in. Sometimes
these specialists even support both sides engaged in the conflict just to make
sure they are covered, regardless the winner.
Many African governments are not masters of their own destiny. Through
bad advice, manipulation, economic blackmail and the like, they have become the
puppets that jump to their puppet masters’ strings. When they don’t jump at the
appropriate time, they are branded as rogue governments. So, to maintain their
positions, when asked to jump they then simply ask “How high?”
It can be argued that many African governments are to blame for the situations
they find themselves in. Whereas that holds true in some instances, much of
what we witness in Africa, especially in the security forces, has come about as
a result of bad advice, poor training, incorrect structures, inadequate
weapons, irrelevant doctrines and so forth. Co-join this situation to poor
statecraft advice and we see what we see…To rectify this, new statecraft and
defence approaches are planned and implemented – and fail.
Many of these so-called specialists that visit our shores may come with
good intentions. However, given their “vast knowledge” of the continent and
their deep “research” on Africa, it is no wonder that such a mess is created. Promises
are easily made and then just as easily broken. But then, perhaps this is the
aim all along – erode the Pillars of State and create chaos. Out of the chaos
will come anger, civil disobedience, racial hatred and tensions, strikes, rebellions,
religious intolerance, an increase in transnational crime, a collapse of law
and order, distrust towards government agencies, armed conflict and
insurgencies – and ultimately, a dysfunctional government or a government
teetering on collapse. This creates numerous
problems on the security front but also abundant lucrative opportunities on the
economic front.
The ultimate result of their “specialist advice” in terms of human
suffering boggles the mind.
As I mentioned earlier, it would almost be funny were it were not so
sad.
