Debt Relief and Job Creation

As you know, the word peace in Africa means a lot. Peace is a very rare, costly, and fragile commodity. Struggling for better work opportunities in Africa is struggling for peace.

I met a friend who asked me why people continue to fight in my ancestors' land and why the situation continues to deteriorate in many countries. I said to my friend: "The United States cannot go and attack Japan today, nor can France wage war against Germany. It is impossible because they have interests to protect. We have interests that we are not allowed to protect because our chaotic situation creates the prosperity of many Western nations. African misery has made many people in the North very wealthy.

The conditions imposed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund on debtor nations do not allow Africans either to create jobs or to protect the few work opportunities they might have. These two "principalities and powers"--the World Bank and the IMF--have greatly contributed to the instability and destruction of Africa. Unemployed youth and adults are ripe for rebel recruitment. Mere children are trained to be soldiers and fight wars.

To accuse African nations and peoples of tribal wars--of an inability to coexist peacefully-- is to ignore those who are fueling the conflicts in this part of the world. It is to simplify the problem by forgetting the responsibility of those who are pulling the strings of economic interests. Creating jobs in Africa is part of the ministry of conflict resolution and peacemaking on the continent.