IMO, all sub-Saharan Africans are barbarians. The Muslim/Christian difference is that there is a chance the Christian ones can move into the 21st century.
Bloody Payback Time
April 13, 2011: While president Laurent Gbagbo has surrendered, many of his armed followers have not. And they have good reason to keep on fighting. As is usually the case when tribes are involved, the northerners and southerners always used ethnic affiliation to sort out "us" and "them". But like in all African countries, there has been migration, with people moving out of their traditional tribal areas over the decades. That can get you killed when the tribes take sides and fight for control of the country. Now Gbagbo's coalition of southern, Christian tribes is on the defensive as the northern, Moslem (and often immigrant) tribes move south to assert their power. The southern diehards set off bombs and snipe at the invaders. The northerners respond by shooting anyone suspected of being hostile. That can mean just a name and accent that indicates a southern tribe too closely allied with Gbagbo, and a (real or imagined) unfriendly look. The attitude is that it's better to kill the guy, before he gets you with a bomb or bullet in the back. This sort of friction has already caused thousands of civilian deaths as the northern Republican Forces moved south. The hostility, and violence, between northerners and southerners will continue for a while. Some southern leaders will try to establish themselves as warlords, although most are expected to get out of Ivory Coast with their lives, families and money. Many have already moved their families, and some other assets, to neighboring, or Western, nations. Some southern leaders brought in mercenary fighters from Liberia, and other African nations. These men are probably fleeing, but will often fight if cornered. The Republican Forces are apt to just kill any foreign mercenaries (real or suspected) they encounter. As the Republican Forces moved south, they were reminded daily that 46 percent of the people voted for Gbagbo during last year's elections. |
