Experts concerned over governance

African governments have used the war on terror as an excuse to roll back democratic reforms and crack down on opposition groups, experts told a three-day conference on "Africa and global governance in the aftermath of 9/11". "Africa is one of the main victims of the 9/11 attacks," Eddy Maloka, executive director of the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) said. "Militarism and the celebration of war in the name of the fight against terror are the new dominant global values. Global actors and institutions will respond to African crises depending on their growing strategic interest, like in the Gulf of Guinea." Ethiopia’s state minister for finance and economic development, Mulu Ketsela, warned that the September 11 attacks had "further aggravated the marginalisation" of Africa. She said international attention had shifted away from the plight of the poor. "The Millennium Development Goals [programme] – envisaged to reduce the poverty level of developing countries – is at risk because of the diversion of focus of the developed countries after September 11," Mulu said. "This process has to be reversed and the developed nations of the north have to refocus their attention in ways that benefit the poor." The attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon had also hurt peacekeeping operations in Africa, said Surajudeen Mudasiru, from Lagos State University in Nigeria. "Global attention and resources are being diverted to the war on terror," he said. "The international community that usually provides funding support for peacekeeping operations in Africa has de-prioritised its focus on African conflict resolution programs." The symposium, held at the UN Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, was jointly organised by AISA and the Ethiopian-based think tank, Development Policy Management Forum. Charles Che Fonchingong, from the University of Buea in Cameroon, argued that democracy in Africa was grinding to a halt. "The African Union has been caught at a crossroads and instead of consolidating democracy and reconstructing collapsing states and conflict ridden nations in Africa, [the AU] has been coerced into the global war on terrorism."