Gadaffi crowned ‘King of Kings’ as he seeks to create ‘Africa govt’

Political pundits and academicians were last week trying to make sense of Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi’s latest game plan, after he had himself crowned “King of Kings” by a section of African traditional leaders, sultans, sheiks and mayors from Muslim North Africa during ceremonies in Benghazi at the end of August.

Dubbed the Forum of African Traditional Leaders, which will be meeting every September 9 in Sirte (Gaddafi’s birthplace), the event, which is also being touted as a precursor to an African government to be launched next year, attracted more than 500 cultural leaders.

Quoting a communiqué issued after the event, Uganda’s Muslim-leaning newspaper, The Weekly Message, reported in its most recent edition that Gaddafi was crowned King of Kings in recognition of his role in liberating Africa from colonialism and his frontline role in pushing for African unity.

Among issues agreed during the forum was the creation of a government of the African Union next year and the issuance of a single currency and passport for the continent.

The proposed African Union government is to be formed subject to the inclusion of sitting ministers of foreign affairs, defence, external trade, transport and communication from AU member states.

But coming just over a year after Gaddafi’s push for an African political union headed by a president met resistance from African presidents at their last meeting in Abuja, the maverick leader’s latest adventure is being seen as an attempt to create a parallel track that would bring him closer to his goal of being Africa’s first continental president.

The sitting also elected Gaddafi, who gave his guests gifts that included Rado watches and African traditional garb, as the forum’s chairman.

Ugandan officials were quick to underplay the development, describing it as neutral to Uganda-Libya relations, but academicians were warning that given the Libyan leader’s past record, his newfound alliance with traditional leaders had the potential to degenerate into a new wave of secular fundamentalism that could be a source of instability, as ambitious cultural leaders jostle for power with republicans.

Uganda’s Junior Foreign Minister in charge of International Co-operation, Okello Oryem, said that Gaddafi’s “crowning” should have no negative impact on the ties between the two countries because “our diplomatic relations are determined by the level of interaction. The lower the interactions, the lower the relationship but generally speaking, our relationship is very cordial and at a high level,” he said.

But Mwambutsya Ndebesa, a senior lecturer at Makerere University’s Department of History and Development Studies, said though Gaddafi’s latest adventure may indeed not turn out to be much of a threat, it could still create a nuisance.

Mr Ndebesa said Gaddafi had a history of destabilising his neighbours and as such his current actions should be viewed with some caution.

“I don’t see any possibility of ideological convergence between Gaddafi and the traditionalists, but he can still cause some trouble here and there by whipping up the appetite of some radical traditional elements,” Mr Ndebesa said, adding that the Libyan leader had always been a contradictory figure, a man who overthrew a monarchy but was now allying with traditionalists.

Libyan forces also supported Idi Amin’s regime against Tanzanian-led liberation forces that included President Museveni’s Front for National Salvation — but, years later, he contributed arms to Museveni’s guerrilla campaign against Ugandan government forces.

Gaddafi’s surprising love affair with monarchies was first manifested during a 1996 visit to Uganda, when he developed an interest in the then infant King of Toro, for whom he built a turnkey palace.

Later, he sponsored the young king and his sister’s education and the duo, accompanied by their mother, Queen Best Kemigisha, have made a number of extended visits to Libya.