wfn.org | [AACC] Foreign Policies Compromise Security in Africa

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CONFERENCE DES EGLISES DE TOUTE L AFRIQUE
ALL AFRICA CONFERENCE OF CHURCHES

Our Ref:			     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

19th April, 2005

Foreign Policies Compromise Security in Africa.

The current globalization forces are the key causes of human insecurity and
migration in Africa, Mr. Polycarp Ochilo, the All Africa Conference of
Churches (AACC) Executive Secretary for International Affairs has said.

Globalization forces such as the deregulation of the global economies and
the application of the rules of supply and demand, he said, continue to
undermine the role of the state in Africa on the provision of security and
control of migration.

In a paper presented on his behalf at a conference on the Culture, Religion
and Development in Africa organized by Frei Foundation in the Netherlands
on March 8th 9th 2005, Mr. Ochilo said that the collapse of the state
governance machinery in Africa has led to some serious social consequences
in Africa.  For example, he cited the social costs of modernization, social
disintegration, wars and conflicts as some of the consequences of the
collapse of state governance.

Mr. Ochilo cited Dr. Chweya and Prof. Wanyande s positions, both of whom
argue that  governments or political regimes that practice authoritarian
rules and politics of exclusion, which ultimately tend not to redress
social and welfare plight of the citizens, the presence of right wing
(conservative) social movements that flourish on us vs them principles, the
presence of dominant social classes that seek to exploit and dominate the
underdog strata, and the existence of a weak civil society which has no
capacity to mediate, as some of the factors that lead to human insecurity
and migration.

Mr. Ochilo said some conflicts have been created by external forces in
order to exploit natural resources such as land, minerals, and oil in some
countries, consequently leading to migration.  He added that insecurity and
subsequent migration was also due to occurrence of natural calamities such
as drought.

Mr. Ochilo suggested a number of options for solution to the migration
problem in Africa such as seeking positive reforms on the broader negative
policies by the World Bank and IMF, a new thinking towards the already
identified negative effects arising from neo-liberal economics, expansion
of democratic space and political elasticity in Africa, the establishment
of democratic, transparent and accountable governments in Africa.

Earlier in the paper, Mr Ochilo cited a number of theories which have been
advanced as underpinning the discourse on human security and migration in
Africa.  He outlined them as Neo Liberal, Democratic, Economic, Conflict
and Media Violence Amplification theories.

Neo Liberal theory proposes that migration has been triggered by
globalization, the structural adjustments programme advanced by World Bank
and IMF, the application of  supply and demand laws as the key regulators
of the local and global markets, promotion of the private sector regime and
subsidy of agricultural products from the North.

Mr. Ochilo noted that the Democratic theory blames dictatorship for
migration in Africa. Under dictatorships emerge serious security problems
that force huge migration of people opposed to the prevailing political and
economic situations in their countries of origin. Mr. Ochilo observed that
in some cases dictatorship may lead to the formation of militia groups that
can further compound human security.

He said the economic theory, supposes that in Africa, the dysfunctional
states have constantly registered economic decline and this in turn has
prompted migration. Such has been witnessed in Ivory Coast, Togo, Gambia,
DRC, and Liberia.  Whereas, the Conflict theory focuses on power balance,
while the Media theory explores the use of media which can promote peace or
fuel conflict.

Mr. Ochilo was invited as one of the guest speakers at conference because
of his experience in the field of security, migration and uprootedness by
virtue of his position as the Executive Secretary of the AACC International
Affairs Programme.

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