Ivory Coast, Tunisia & Egypt In One Month? Where are the Women and Girls?

Does it surprise me that even after six decades of "liberation" from colonial rule the continent is still awash in violent conflicts? When is it ever going to stop? Who are these "grand-father" autocrats who find it difficult to relinquish power or at least accept freedom of expression and peaceful demonstration? And, what are their sexes? You bet - you guessed right, they are all MASCULINE - MALES (with emphasis).

Pause for a moment, when you switch on your live TV or search the internet for news on Ivory Coast, Tunisia and Egypt, what do you see? Who has the spotlight? Well, ...it's mostly men. Does it cross your mind when you think about it? Where are the women and children? Are they equal stakeholders in this so-called race for freedom and justice? Are they impacted by such violent conflicts? If so, are their rights being protected? Let's see if I can muster any motivation from you to consider questioning about the state of women and children in Ivory Coast, Tunisia and Egypt amidst these conflicts.

Without any direct connection, rulers in La Cote d'Ivoire, Tunisia, and Egypt have clung unto power for so long, so much so that the breakout of violent conflicts have become inevitable. What's the consequences of this preventable mayhem? Violent attacks, bruises, forced movement and deaths. "Preventable "because, if only these rulers will recognize the "rule of law" (by virtue of their constitution which allows limited terms for presidency) then they will know that, good leaders lead do not yang-away forever.

LA COTE D'IVOIRE

Ivory Coast, as it is popularly known, was considered a haven for peace and economic stability in Africa having gained independence from France on 7 August 1960. Looking back on its history, one can see that, Cote d'Ivoire's long standing stability was more or less a facade considering that President Felix Houphouet-Boigny clung to the head of state position from 1960 until his death in 1993. The Global Security summarizes his reign as a

cultivation of close political ties with the West that insulated the Ivory Coast from the turmoil associated with the military uprisings and Marxist experimentation that characterized the region. By maintaining an environment of stability, the Ivory Coast was able to develop its economy, attracting foreign investment and becoming the world’s largest producer of cocoa.

This "insulation" was certainly seasonal, as it lasted for the duration of Houphouet-Boigny's three decades and three years rule. All hell broke lose immediately after his death on 7 December 1993. Henri Konan Bedie, his successor, soon witnessed boycotting and protests as a result of election restrictions on opposition parties by his government in 1995. During the election in 2000, Alassane Ouattara, a Muslim who was previously Prime Minister during Houphouet-Boigny's regime, intention to run re-sparked religious and ethnic divide amongst the masses.

On 25 December 1999, General Robert Guei (16 March 1941 – 19 September 2002) ousted President Bedie marking the inception of Ivory Coast first (bloodless) military coup. As tension mounted with General Guei "troublesome" policies which ended up barring Ouattara from running as an elected candidate, forced the Rassemblement des Republicaines (RDR) (his party) to boycott. the election. Preempting low elections outcome on his part, General Guei halted the elections process and declared himself a winner. This was the "straw that broke the camel's back" - the beginning of Cote d'Ivoire on-going bloody violence. In just a matter of hours, women and children were plunged into blood baths, rape and all other forms of abuse, before Ouattara recognized Laurent Gbagbo's presidency.

A relatively short-lived peace was broken when on 7 January 2001 another coup erupted plunging the "Elephants" into a fragile state until November 2009 partly resulting in repeated postponement of election date. All efforts on the part of ECOWAS, AU and mediator Thabo Mbeki proved futile as Ivorians (mainly women and children) seek refuge in neighboring Liberia.


TUNISIA

According to Tourism Tunisia, the original inhabitants of this north African desert star were the Berbers, who were later followed by settlers and tradesmen from throughout the Mediterranean basin. For hundreds of years, the Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine, Visigoth settlers, colonizers and traders did not only interacted with the Berbers they managed to remain thereby constructing a beautiful cultural mosaic adorned in language, traditions and shades of complexion most attributed to the domination of Arabs.

Arab Muslims, who arrived in the 7th century, exerted the most influence and established themselves permanently in Tunisia. Like any other original people, the Berbers resisted Muslim's language and religion, but their ability to exercise full control was overcome by the arrivals of the Bedouin tribes from the east which added more strength to Muslim influences.

After transitioning through medieval times as well as surviving Italian and French invasion in 1881 - fast-forward to 1920, the creation of the Destour Party - a nationalist movement led by Habib Bourguiba - fueled a series of tension in Tunisia, one of which resulted in Bourguiba's arrest in 1952 after Tunisia fell under Vichy's rule during World War II. Three years after Bourguiba's arrest, a wave of violence between the French and Tunisians ensued. France later granted Tunisia independence on 20 March 1956 "crowning" Habib Bourguiba as the first prime ministers.

Worth noting, is how interestingly similar African leaders are. Regardless their geographical location, background or race, they somehow manage to exhibit similar leadership qualifications as is seen with Bourguiba and Ben Ali. After 31 years of domination, in November 1987 Bourguiba was "removed" by Zine el Abidine Ben Ali who has become the center of attraction today (for repeating the exact same thing Bourguiba did) having served five consecutive terms - a total of 23 years.

Today Tunisians as rural farmers, mountaineers, city dwellers and human rights activists refused to remain passive. As they mount the streets to protest Ben Ali's "undemocratic" endless repression, corruption and economic malaise, the Jasmine Revolutionists are exposed to serious injuries and death. Although Ben Ali has fled the country, one big question remains, will his departure bring lasting solution to Tunisia's leaders (men) propensity to abuse power?

EGYPT

Same ole, same ole! Almost the same story retold three times, except that the locations are different. Egypt proudly known as the birth of civilization, culture and history is at its worse state now. President Hosni Mubarak who succeeded Anwar Sadat after he was assassinated in 1981, have clung unto "sweet power" for three decades. He is infamous for paying diplomatic visits to four US presidents - Ronald Regan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. At this point, these visits tell it all with regard to the sheer length of time an African male leader can grip power without conscience or empathy. But that's not the end of the story.

The most important concern for this blog is the "backseat" row women and children inherently assume amidst faulty leadership characterized by long-term oppression and then sudden outburst of violence in Africa. From Cote d'Ivoire, to Tunisia and now Egypt all we see in the media is men fighting for "freedom" or ...? With that much focus on the next male power-abuser, women and children are ignored, shut-out and pushed into the background as if they have no part to play in restoring justice and peace-building. I am very much interested in disseminating and education the WWW about media coverage that highlight the impact of Ivory Coast, Tunisia and Egypt violent conflicts on women and children. If you have a thought, please share it with me.

LINKS
https://www.cia.gov
www.egyptdailynews.com
www.egypt.gov

http://www.globalsecurity.org
http://www.gouv.ci/
www.sis.gov.eg
www.touregypt.net
www.ministeres.tn
http://www.tourismtunisia.com