JEDDAH, 23 March 2003 — African expatriates in the Kingdom believe that a long drawn-out war in Iraq could overshadow global efforts to help Africa. The continent is dependent on foreign aid and some of its countries rank among the poorest and most deprived in the world.
The African expatriates told Arab News they felt a long war against Iraq could affect Africa’s political and economic future. They felt that the international community should take steps not only to stop the war in Iraq but to seek a genuine solution to the current crisis.
“The present US-British war against Iraq could set back the dramatic changes under way in Africa and the efforts of its leaders to seek economic progress, peace and democracy,” noted Musa Idiris, an Eritrean staff writer of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper. “Beset by ethnic tension, economic decline and new threats from AIDS, Africans have increasingly looked to international donors for the required assistance in the last few years,” he added.
Idiris explained why Africans here fear a US-led war against Iraq. “There are two main reasons why they fear warfare in the Middle East. The first is the security in the Red Sea, which is the main gateway to the continent. The second is the thousands of overseas Africans who send money to their relatives back home. Therefore, the war could only hinder the continent’s economic well-being.”
Muhammad Abubakar, a Somali editor of Aalam Alriadah, a sister publication of Arab News, said the ongoing war could overshadow international efforts to solve Africa’s ethnic and civil conflicts.
