Have you ever woken up one morning to hear that Ghana or South Africa just sanctioned the US for the violation of human rights? The answer is a capital NO but another question is why? Since the independence of African countries, it has never been heard that any African country or African organization such as the African Union imposed economic or financial sanctions on Western or European nations. But, we have read, heard, and seen countless times where the United States, France, or any other Western country or Western organization such as the European Union, place sanctions on African countries for one reason or the other. It’s either the US is sanctioning Uganda for its anti-gay law which they consider a violation of human rights or it’s the European Union or any of the other Western countries sanctioning Burkina Faso for carrying out a coup. European or Western countries such as the US and France have done countless things in Africa that are violations of human rights, yet nobody is sanctioning them. Isn’t it high time for an African country to stand up and impose sanctions on France for all the crimes France has committed against Africa or is it that African countries are too weak and insignificant to do so?

According to Wikipedia, Sanctions are commercial and financial penalties applied by states or institutions against other states, groups, or individuals. It is also a unilateral or collective action against a state considered to be violating International law. In other words, sanctions are a weapon used by nuclear amassing powerful nations to show brute diplomatic force on smaller and powerless nations. Sanction can involve revoking diplomatic ties and recalling an ambassador, placing bans on financial or trade transactions, or arms embargoes.” Basically, the major purpose of sanctions is to force the intended country to conform to a particular law. So, from this definition, we understand that any country can impose sanctions on another country but most of the time it is usually a stronger country in terms of economy and military that tends to impose sanctions.

The Five Permanent members of the UNSC: China, France, Great Britain, Russia, and the USA, who wield veto power at the UNSC, use sanctions to further their own national agenda and interests. They do not care about the national aspirations of smaller and powerless countries. By using a veto power, the five countries have thwarted the peaceful co-existence of the countries of the world. It is due to the veto power, and undemocratic nature of the UNSC, that we do not have any workable or permanent peace in Africa, the Middle east, the Far east, as well as in the Caribbean islands. Of all the continents in the world, the African continent is the most targeted region for sanctions either by individual states such as the US or France or international institutions like the UN Security Council or the European Union. And if they are asked what are the reasons for the sanctions, they would claim that it’s for peace and security reasons.
But please, how do measures such as freezing a country’s assets or suspending trading deals that end up affecting the economy of the country and by extension the general population, help to bring peace and security? Take the case of Eritrea for example. In 2009, Eritrea was accused and sanctioned by the UN Security Council for allegedly supporting terrorist groups in Somalia and also for a border dispute between Eritrea and Djibouti. The sanctions imposed by the UNSC include the prevention of the sale of arms and ammunition to Eritrea and the suspension of financial and technical training for Eritrea’s military. However, years after Eritrea had suffered under oppressive sanctions, it was concluded that there was no evidence that the country truly supported terrorist groups. Still, on the allegations about Eritrea supporting terrorist groups in Somalia, the UNSC also imposed another sanction on Eritrea in 2011. This time it was a financial sanction.

The UNSC ordered the suspension of 2 percent Diaspora taxes paid by Eritreans outside the country and also diverted the mining sector from being explored. Right after the 2009 and 2011 sanctions were imposed on Eritrea, Eritreans all over the globe began writing letters, sending e-mails, as well as faxing letters to all 15 members of the UNSC and appealed to each one of them to work in the repealing and annulling process. Unfortunately, very few responded to the calls made by the Eritreans. However, 10 years after these sanctions were imposed on the country, the UN Security Council finally removed the sanctions in 2018. Imagine a country being sanctioned for 10 years based on allegations that have no evidence.
Well, besides condemning the actions of the UNSC, one other group that we can say is the reason why the UNSC, the European Union, and other Western countries can comfortably sanction African countries is the African Union and other regional blocs in Africa such as ECOWAS. These organizations in Africa have proven without doubt that they have no use in the continent and should be dismantled. They are the reason why external powers can meddle in the affairs of Africa and impose sanctions or even intervene militarily like in the case of Libya during the time of Muammar Gaddafi. What is the purpose of the African Union if they cannot settle disputes between two African nations?
A study conducted on the sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council on Africa showed that 60 percent of those sanctions were in collaboration with the African Union. This collaboration is further confirmed in the case of the sanctions imposed on Niger after the coup occurred which ousted Mohammed Bazoom. After the coup occurred in Niger, ECOWAS with the backing of France and the US, imposed severe economic and financial sanctions on Niger. France and the United States together with the European Union and other individual Western countries also imposed sanctions on Niger. These sanctions which they say are to restore peace and stability to the country have had adverse effects on the economy of Niger and by extension the people of Niger. How can a tool which has led to inflation, shortage of food and medicine lead to stability in the region?

If the African Union and regional blocs such as ECOWAS are doing what they ought to do, the EU and European countries would not have the right to meddle in African affairs anytime they like. It’s baffling that the African Union and ECOWAS still continue to seek the approval and aid of the West whenever there is a crisis situation in Africa when it has been proven over time that their meddling and intervention always have devastating effects on the countries affected. Libya is a good example of this. The conclusion we can draw from this is that the African Union and ECOWAS are puppets that the West uses to further their interests.
Instead of going to war against countries that do not do their bidding, the West has decided to use sanctions as their weapon to punish countries that stand their ground. When the leader of a country refuses to do their bidding they are called a dictator and placed under sanctions for unjustifiable reasons. Russia and Eritrea are good examples of this. When African countries such as Uganda decided to say no to LGBTQ so-called rights, the West sanctioned them, calling them abusers of human rights. When their African-installed puppet is in power and the regime is full of corruption and characterized by mass suffering of the populace, these African puppets are not sanctioned but hailed as peaceful democrats but when a revolution occurs in the form of a coup, the coup plotters are sanctioned and called obstructors of democracy.
For a long time, Africa has been compliant with this meddling and interference by the West but now that the continent is waking up it is high time for Africa to turn the table around and give the West a taste of their own medicine. First, for all the past colonial crimes, all former colonial masters should be sanctioned by Africa. For all the inhumane sanctions imposed on Africa by the West which in itself are violations of international law, those countries involved should be sanctioned. For all the assassinations of historic African revolutionary leaders, they should be sanctioned. For all their interference and meddling which has led some African countries such as Libya to be destabilized, they should be sanctioned. For all their exploitation of African minerals, they should be sanctioned.
No more trading with Europe. Africa does not need to trade with Europe to survive. Russia and China plus the rest of the Asian countries are more than enough for Africa to trade with.
Since the West knows how to impose travel bans. Africa should do the same as well. All Western countries should be banned from traveling to Africa. Let’s see how they would be able to exploit African resources. All their companies that aid them in exploiting African resources and polluting the environment should be sent packing. This would even make Africa not to be dependent on them and make the dream of an industrialized Africa a reality. All Western bases most especially that of the US which are used to spy on the African continent should be dismantled and all Western forces sent packing like France. Africa does not need the West to survive and the only way Africa can grow to be a great continent on its own without any interference from the West who are only concerned about their interest. It is time for Africa to wake up.
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