Saturday, November 08, 2003
A BOUNTY ON TAYLOR
Here's a story in the BBC reporting on a $2 million bounty approved by the U.S. Congress for the capture of Charles Taylor, the murderous former Liberian warlord, now in exile in Nigeria. Nigearia's president condemned the bounty as a "stone age" step by the U.S. But wait!
The UN's chief representative in Liberia, Jacques Klein, told the BBC he was surprised but delighted by news of the bounty. The reward was unlikely to result in mercenaries going after Mr Taylor, Mr Klein said; the bounty's value was more symbolic. "It's a signal to the African people that your lives are worth something. That we will no longer let regional dictators and criminals brutalise you, murder you, exploit you, and steal the state treasury." At some point Mr Taylor would outlive his welcome in Nigeria and violate the terms of his asylum, Mr Klein said. "They'll eventually probably throw him out and at that point the warrant is valid and the reward is valid."
That must have thrown the BBC's editorial staff for a loop -- someone from the UN praising U.S. "cowboy diplomacy"?!?! Kudos to them for publishing Klein's remark, even if it must have pained them.
I don't normally blog about developments in Africa. It's just too painful. Africa's political, social and economic life is so deeply broken that it's hard to see how any good can be done there.
GB, THHotA
posted by Greg 3:46 PM
