3/12/97
ニエレレ元タンザニア大統領がガーナの独立40周年式典でザイールの人々にモブツ以後を今こそ考えようと提言したという記事です。国内のザンジバルの選挙の不正についてはなんら発言しなかった氏ですが、元大統領がここまではっきりとモブツ政権に対して批評を下せるには頼もしい。
マンデラが大統領になった日を即休日にした国の面目躍如です。パンアフリカニズムは死なず、と。久しぶりにうれしいニュースです。
LOOK BEYOND MOBUTU, NYERERE TELLS ZAIREANS
Former Tanzania leader, Julius Nyerere, has advised Zaireans to look at life
beyond their ailing President. "The poor man is going," Nyerere said in Accra
where he has been attending Ghana's 40 independence celebrations.
Nyerere said the era of the so-called "big men" of Africa was over. But he
admitted that without them, there would have been no independence in Africa.
He described Zaire as Africa's tragedy and the issue now is not removing
Mobutu but what would follow. "What Zaireans should be talking about is 'what
kind of country are we going to have after Mobutu?," said Nyerere.
He described talk of removing Mobutu as nonsensical. "He was supported by the
Americans and the French for a long time and no-one could remove him.
Removing him now is not the issue because the poor man is going, so he is not
all that important," declared Nyerere.
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Nyerere says Zaire must look beyond Mobutu
01:23 p.m. Mar 05, 1997 EST
ACCRA, March 5 (Reuter) - Former Tanzanian president and African elder
statesman Julius Nyerere says Zaire and its people should be looking to
life beyond their sick president Mobutu Sese Seko, adding ``the poor
man is going.''
Nyerere, speaking in Ghana where he is attending celebrations marking
40 years of independence, told Reuters Africa Journal television in an
interview that the days of the ``big man'' in African power politics were
over.
But he added that without such men, there would have been no
independence in the continent.
``Zaire is one of those tragedies of Africa,'' he said late on Tuesday after
addressing several hundred guests at Accra's international conference
centre on his vision of the continent.
Nyerere, who led Tanganyika through independence from Britain in 1961
and into union with Zanzibar as Tanzania in 1964 and beyond, said the
issue in Zaire was not removing Mobutu from power but what would
follow him.
``What Zaireans should be talking about is 'What kind of country are we
going to have after Mobutu?''' he added, noting that it was ``nonsensical''
to talk about ousting him.
``He was supported by the Americans and the French for a long time and
no-one could remove him. Removing him now is not the issue because
the poor man is going, so he's not all that important,'' he said.
``The question now is What next? What kind of Zaire are we going to
have after Mobutu? That is what leadership inside Zaire should be
talking about.''
Mobutu, 66, seized power in Zaire in 1965 but is now in Europe where he
had surgery for prostate cancer last August.
He spent four months receiving radiation and other treatment and
resting but the revolt by Tutsi-led rebels in the east forced him to cut
short his convalescence. He returned home in December to reshuffle the
government and army leadership.
Since then he has returned twice to Europe and is currently at his villa in
the South of France. Aides say his health is not a problem and describe
subsequent tests as routine.
The rebels, shrugging off a much heralded government
counter-offensive, have pushed steadily west and say they have
Kisangani, the army's war zone headquarters, in their sights.
Their leader, Laurent Kabila, a veteran Mobutu foe, says Mobutu must go.
Nyerere, who ruled with a mix of socialism and self-reliance before
retiring in 1985, has been closely involved in efforts to broker peace in
Central Africa's volatile Great Lakes region, particularly Burundi.
He stressed that the unity of Zaire was crucial.
``We must not allow the future of Africa to be determined by those
outside Africa,'' he added. ``This is 1997 not 1887 -- three years away
from the 21st century. We must determine our own destiny. We've got
to empower ourselves through unity to determine the fate of our
continent.''
Asked whether the days of Africa's ``big men'' leaders were over, he
replied: ``Yes, but the continent would not have been liberated without
the so-called big man.''
He criticised corrupt African leaders. ``Today we have African leaders
who have simply looted their countries and their countries have gone to
the dogs,'' he said.
``We don't need those men today but we do need leadership. We need
government that works and we need a hard core of people who are
willing to work hard and contribute to their country's welfare.''
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