Hasbara Buster
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France playing dirty game in CAR: S. De Bogou
Press TV has conducted an interview with Sylvain De Bogou, Journalist from London, about the issue of the Central African Republic, of which France’s foreign minister has warned is on the brink of genocide since a government coup earlier this year and is pushing for UN military intervention on the diamond-rich land.
The following is an approximate transcript of the interview.
Press TV: Is it too simplistic to summarize this conflict at this stage as a Christian versus Muslim dynamic?
De Bogou: It is very simplistic as we said. There are so many players in this crisis in this Republic.
France is always there. France has never gone since the beginning of the so-called independence of this country, or other African countries where France has been the colonial power.
CAR - the Center of Africa Republic - is rich in diamonds and other things, so many things, minerals etc.
Press TV: What has been happening since 1960 and independence to all this wealth?
De Bogou: The situation hasn’t changed. Let’s take this example with President Bokassa (ousted in 1979) versus President Valerie Giscard D’Estaing of France and it’s the same situation.
France has never gone, France is playing a dirty game and I think they have to take responsibility to shut off the mess they have been carrying on in this country like they are doing now to African countries.
Press TV: Obviously when things become calmer there doesn’t seem to be much hope of the 4.6 million citizens of the CAR getting much benefit from any mining that may occur should there be calm in the future.
But let me just focus on the three-year plan because initially after ousting Francois Bozize this transitional government came into power and there was supposed to be a three-year plan for transition of power so that we could actually get free and fair elections.
At what point do you think things started to go wrong?
De Bogou: Things started to go wrong when they didn’t take into account the forces France has developed for Bozize because France is the country that brought Bozize back to Africa to the Republic. He was a refugee in France. They gave him the training they gave him the means to come back and take power in 2003.
So, it’s France that did what is happening right now. They should have started from above from the grassroots because Bozize after ten years of being in power has acquired or convinced so many supporters. So these people should be taken into account to sort out the problem. This problem should not be addressed only in the offices; they are to go to town to town if they are to do it. They are to go from town to town to convince.
Press TV: Who are they?
De Bogou: France. France is involved.
Press TV has conducted an interview with Sylvain De Bogou, Journalist from London, about the issue of the Central African Republic, of which France’s foreign minister has warned is on the brink of genocide since a government coup earlier this year and is pushing for UN military intervention on the diamond-rich land.
The following is an approximate transcript of the interview.
Press TV: Is it too simplistic to summarize this conflict at this stage as a Christian versus Muslim dynamic?
De Bogou: It is very simplistic as we said. There are so many players in this crisis in this Republic.
France is always there. France has never gone since the beginning of the so-called independence of this country, or other African countries where France has been the colonial power.
CAR - the Center of Africa Republic - is rich in diamonds and other things, so many things, minerals etc.
Press TV: What has been happening since 1960 and independence to all this wealth?
De Bogou: The situation hasn’t changed. Let’s take this example with President Bokassa (ousted in 1979) versus President Valerie Giscard D’Estaing of France and it’s the same situation.
France has never gone, France is playing a dirty game and I think they have to take responsibility to shut off the mess they have been carrying on in this country like they are doing now to African countries.
Press TV: Obviously when things become calmer there doesn’t seem to be much hope of the 4.6 million citizens of the CAR getting much benefit from any mining that may occur should there be calm in the future.
But let me just focus on the three-year plan because initially after ousting Francois Bozize this transitional government came into power and there was supposed to be a three-year plan for transition of power so that we could actually get free and fair elections.
At what point do you think things started to go wrong?
De Bogou: Things started to go wrong when they didn’t take into account the forces France has developed for Bozize because France is the country that brought Bozize back to Africa to the Republic. He was a refugee in France. They gave him the training they gave him the means to come back and take power in 2003.
So, it’s France that did what is happening right now. They should have started from above from the grassroots because Bozize after ten years of being in power has acquired or convinced so many supporters. So these people should be taken into account to sort out the problem. This problem should not be addressed only in the offices; they are to go to town to town if they are to do it. They are to go from town to town to convince.
Press TV: Who are they?
De Bogou: France. France is involved.
The UN now is coming around and people are talking about division between Muslim and Christian. It is not that. They have to go into that country and say we are sorry. But unfortunately the West never says sorry.
Press TV: Our other guest was talking about why we don’t talk about the responsibility from the African side - your comments on that?
De Bogou: Why we don’t talk about the responsibility from the African side? Those African forces; where do they get their equipment from? They barely have food in their own country to feed their people.
So, any time any Africa forces is set up...we’ve got the example of Liberia and other countries before. When they are set up they are relying on the West to get ammunition.
And sometimes when they go there their mission is not to fight, it is to just be there like the UN does. When they go to the Ivory Coast and to other countries, they say, we are not here to fight we are here to stop [the fight].
So when people come here with their bullets what do you do? They have no forces. The only country we’ve got in Africa that can really provide some forces, military forces are Nigeria and South Africa - But did they give them the power? The UN does not give them the power. That is the situation.
Press TV: And also look at what happened to South Africa. South African forces were killed when Bozize was ousted so I think South Africa might be a little bit reluctant.
De Bogou: …The African countries are not benefitting from the gold and the diamonds. France is benefitting. France should really sort out the mess. That is my position.
Press TV: Also we have the very immediate problem we mentioned so early in the program about the potential for starvation - we’re talking about people who haven’t got access food in a landlocked country and that’s just a recipe literally for disaster.
What are your thoughts...because that seems to be a rallying call potentially for getting support in to the country when you hear about a million people not being able to get access to food. Could that work in a positive manner in this dynamic?
De Bogou: Yes, in this dynamic I think the neighboring countries could intervene. And especially this so-called African Union machine - I call it a thing because there is nothing there; it is empty, an empty bottle making too many noises, the African Union.
So they should really stand up and say enough is enough. We have been going through so many wars in our continent. Africa is not as poor as people think or as they say in the media. Africa has everything to be at the top, so those organizations really have to intervene in this matter.
PressTV - France playing dirty game in CAR: S. De Bogou
Press TV: Our other guest was talking about why we don’t talk about the responsibility from the African side - your comments on that?
De Bogou: Why we don’t talk about the responsibility from the African side? Those African forces; where do they get their equipment from? They barely have food in their own country to feed their people.
So, any time any Africa forces is set up...we’ve got the example of Liberia and other countries before. When they are set up they are relying on the West to get ammunition.
And sometimes when they go there their mission is not to fight, it is to just be there like the UN does. When they go to the Ivory Coast and to other countries, they say, we are not here to fight we are here to stop [the fight].
So when people come here with their bullets what do you do? They have no forces. The only country we’ve got in Africa that can really provide some forces, military forces are Nigeria and South Africa - But did they give them the power? The UN does not give them the power. That is the situation.
Press TV: And also look at what happened to South Africa. South African forces were killed when Bozize was ousted so I think South Africa might be a little bit reluctant.
De Bogou: …The African countries are not benefitting from the gold and the diamonds. France is benefitting. France should really sort out the mess. That is my position.
Press TV: Also we have the very immediate problem we mentioned so early in the program about the potential for starvation - we’re talking about people who haven’t got access food in a landlocked country and that’s just a recipe literally for disaster.
What are your thoughts...because that seems to be a rallying call potentially for getting support in to the country when you hear about a million people not being able to get access to food. Could that work in a positive manner in this dynamic?
De Bogou: Yes, in this dynamic I think the neighboring countries could intervene. And especially this so-called African Union machine - I call it a thing because there is nothing there; it is empty, an empty bottle making too many noises, the African Union.
So they should really stand up and say enough is enough. We have been going through so many wars in our continent. Africa is not as poor as people think or as they say in the media. Africa has everything to be at the top, so those organizations really have to intervene in this matter.
PressTV - France playing dirty game in CAR: S. De Bogou
