By Sam. O. Ajayi
America started pushing for democracy aggressively across the world ONLY AFTER the end of the Cold War when it no longer needed puppet regimes across the world again, especially in Third World Countries. Even at that, America limited this “democratic push” only to Africa and South America. It never disturbed authoritarian regimes in the Middle East and many parts of Asia. In Africa, Angola and Mozambique were battle ground between Russia and America with the former knowing no peace after independence from Portugal on 1975.
America supported Jonas Savimbi’s UNITA while Russia supported Agustiho Neto’s MPLA. MPLA won the election for independence but America started arming Savimbi against the new government until 1992 when America did not need Savimbi again.(The Cold War had ended) By 2002, the guy was killed!
Mobutu Sese Seko was one of Africa’s most brutal dictators and corrupt Presidents who stole his country dry.
But he was a willing tool in the hands of the US during the cold war. From Jimmy Carter to Ronald Reagan and George Bush (SNR), Sese Seko was a regular at the White House.
He visited Reagan three times and was the first African President to visit Bush (SNR) in the White House after he was sworn in January 1989. Criticisms of his stealing and brutal human rights abuses were muted.
When rebels wanted to oust him after invading Shaba for the second time, the US joined Belgium and France to rout the rebels. Reason: they erroneously thought Russia was supporting the rebels.
However, after the end of the cold war, America. Discarded Sese Seko. They started pressurising him to democratise. By 1993, Sese Seko was denied visa to the US!
Here are his words after the US denied him visa:
“I am the latest victim of the cold war, no longer needed by the US. The lesson is that my support for American policy counts for nothing.”
Four years, Joseph Desire Kabila was supported to oust him. But not after he had ruined Zaira (now Democratic Republic of Congo) for over 32 years!
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