African activists on Tuesday dismissed President Barack Obama’s remarks that Ethiopia has a democratically elected government as an “out of touch” public relations exercise.
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He also urged African leaders to abide by their national constitutions and refrain from attempting to extend their terms in office – a reference to recent events in Burundi. I actually think I’m a pretty good president – I think if I ran I could win. “I think if I ran, I could win”.
“As Africa stands against terror and conflict, I want you to know the United States stands with you”, he said, highlighting threats ranging from Somalia’s Shebab, Boko Haram in Nigeria, insurgents in Mali and Tunisia, and Lord’s Resistance Army rebels in central Africa.
He added that “Burundi is tottering on the brink of civil strife after President Pierre Nkurunziza’s third term was endorsed in a ballot that was deemed not credible”.
As he wrapped up what may be his final trip to Africa while in office, Obama took aim at some of the continent’s gerontocracy and called on long-entrenched leaders to step down, declaring “nobody should be president for life”.
In other words, come October of next year we’ll be updating our “worst president ever” rankings to reflect a change at the top.
At the heart of Obama’s approach to Africa is a belief that the U.S. and other developed nations can no long view the continent simply as a receptacle for billions in global aid.
Success depends on being willing to discuss “what we need to be doing to fulfill the promise of our founding documents”, he said.
“We’ve got to get that done”, Obama said before getting aboard his own ride for the flight back to Washington. He said the world must do more to help, too, and announced that he will host a summit at the United Nations in September to secure additional support for global peacekeeping, including in Africa.
Obama emphasised his administration’s efforts to combat world hunger while touring the factory, which is the main supplier of baby food for Ethiopian children.
African Union Commisison Chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma opened the event with a speech on the ties linking Obama, the son of a Kenyan father, to Africa.
He is the first sitting U.S. president to visit Ethiopia, a fast-growing economy, which was once defined by poverty and starvation.
In echoes of his speech in Kenya, he condemned the repression of women, saying the “single best indicator of whether a nation will succeed is how it treats its women”. But none had the instant credibility African leaders confer on Obama, whose visit was heralded as a homecoming.
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Mixing his stern message with humor, he reminded the audience that he is nearing the end of his second term, and that he loves his job, but that under the U.S. Constitution he can’t run again. Before and even after Ethiopia’s Anti-Terror Proclamation of 2009 criminalized dissent, “Human rights are being absolutely decimated in Ethiopia“.
