The protest against
African leaders attending the Summit with US President Barack Obama failed to
catch a spark, as it appeared to suffer from a seeming lack of organization.
The few protesters who made it to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington DC
however put across their message in no uncertain terms.
The media had been alerted
on an intended protest to greet the leaders of African countries as they
arrived at the Summit venue to confer with President Obama. On arrival however,
they were met by a rather small group of Africans from different countries protesting
a number of different issues. This group was situated far from the actual event
venue, with a very strict security layout, and thus positioned in a spot
where they were hardly likely to be heard as the leaders drove past. They
however went ahead to put their message across.
Among the protesters were
nationals from the Democratic Republic of Congo who were demanding the removal
of President Joseph Kabila who they blamed for the insecurity in the country.
“He has got blood on his hands. Why is he here?” said one of the protesters.
Also conspicuous among the small crowd was a group of Burkinabe
nationals calling for the deposition of President Blaise Kampoare. They said
they were calling on President Obama to impress upon him to withdraw a bill he is
planning to introduce which will allow him to run for another term. “Kampoare
is bad news for our country. He must not be allowed to stay in power”, a
Burkinabe national told Sahara Reporters.
There were also small pockets
of other nationals from countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone. Even though the group seemed to be protesting different issues
pertaining mostly to their respective countries, they were all united in
chanting “Africa is not for sale”, “Obama, shame on you”.
Joe, a Congolese
organizer, told the press that they are aware of the United States’ intention
in convening such a summit. “It is not an African summit; it is a US summit.
Why should all our leaders be called here, to do what? Of course to be told
what to do by America”, he said.
There are other protests
scheduled to take place against different African leaders as the summit begins
to wind down. It is expected that with a less stringent security situation, protesters may still get the chance to confront their leaders before they fly back to their respective countries.
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