Africa's Off to a Great Start This Year

Whenever there seems to be a lull in human beings scheming of ways to manipulate and kill one another, Africa always seems to find a way to crash the idea of human harmony and good-will towards all men. Already this month, Ivory Coast seems to be ready to take on the combined forces of France and ECOMOG (aka Nigeria), Sudan will be ripped in two, Egyptian religious violence is peaking while the DRC continues to be keen on the ongoing bloodshed in its eastern provinces. Let's begin shall we?

After a fucked up election where apparently the incumbent Laurent Gbagbo lost to Alassane Outtara but as usual, Africans don't know how to accept political loss. The international community throws a hissy fit and Nigeria and France threaten to invade. Of all the countries you expect to install democracy in the region, Nigeria steps up. A country with a blooming Islamic insurgency and a Ijaw ethnic insurgency as well. Figures. It's a usual north v. south conflict since Outtara got most of his support from the Northern muslims in Ivory Coast. If Kenya is anything to go by, the two leaders will share power or have a fantastic conflict in which we can see Nigeria invade and then impregnate over 1 million Ivorians.

Sudan will be torn asunder and good riddance. In 1956, the British Empire decided to relinquish one of its largest and poorest colonies - the Sudan. The Sudan was one of those ethnic mixes that seem to be quiet common in Africa. An Islamic north and a Pagan/Christian south. As usual, these two forces duked it out. The stakes became even higher after Sudan struck black gold and Chinese and Canadian companies rushed into make millions. While all of this was going on, the Islamic north was prosecuting two genocides against Darfur and against the people of Southern Sudan. Now with two Sudans, we're sure to see renewed violence between the two someday. Egypt doesn't want to see Sudan go and become part of an upper Nile alliance along with Ethiopia and Uganda. Also, South Sudan has the worst neighbours on Earth such as the aforementioned Ethiopia and Uganda along with Kenya, the DRC and the Central African Republic. Welcome to the neighbourhood.

Speaking of the neighbourhood, radical Muslims in Egypt finally have decided to start killing Egyptian Christians. These community of Christians has been around since before the fall of the Roman Empire and their church is amongst the world's oldest despite the Islamic deluge that swallowed North Africa in the 700's after the Great Ummayad Jihads began. Now, this community of some 7-8 million people are Jihadist targets along with their fellow Christians in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq etc. The region that gave the world Christianity is the place where Christianity is receeding the fastest.

Finally, for God's sakes won't somebody do something about the Congo? I mean, millions have died since 1998 and hundreds of thousands are still fleeing rebel army groups. I hear even the Lord's Resistance Army is trying cash in on the fun. I used to think Bangladesh was God's practical joke but the DRC is giving it a run for its money. Along with all the trouble that it gets because of its resources, there maybe be oil under lake Tanganyika.

Africa is off to a great start this year. I just hope everybody is watching.