Conflict Trends, Issue 2 (2001)
PEDRO UGARTE/AFP PEDRO A Somalian girl carries water in a Mogadishu street BY HUSSEIN SOLOMON EDITORIAL On Monday, 28 May 2001, heavy mor- the mutineers, and that they were also supported tar and gunfire broke the stillness of by 300 mercenaries. On the other hand, President the night in Bangui, capital of the Patasse was supported by Libyan president, OCentral African Republic (CAR). The Muammar Gaddafi, who sent troops and two mili- commotion began when a rebellious army unit tary helicopters. President Patasse was also sup- attacked the home of President Ange-Felix ported by fighters loyal to Jean-Pierre Bemba’s Patasse. Within two days, it became clear that Ugandan-backed Front for the Liberation of forces loyal to the elected government had sup- Congo -these fighters crossed the Oubangui River pressed the coup attempt. The attempted coup in in barges from the Democratic Republic of the the CAR holds important lessons, for both policy- Congo (DRC). These developments point to the makers and academics, which go far beyond a fact that national conflicts exist within the context simplistic analysis that points to poor civil-mili- of various regional and sub-regional conflict sys- tary relations on the African continent. tems, and that these conflicts need to be Firstly, the attempted coup underlines the approached within that context. inherent complexity that is typical of many of Thirdly, it once again underscores the hiatus Africa’s conflicts - characterised by a large mea- between early warning and early response. As sure of interdependence between various sources early as 11 January 2001, United Nations (UN) of insecurity.
[Show full text]