August 4-6, U.S. President Barak Obama hosted the Washington – Africa Leaders Summit at the White House. Obama expounded “I do not see the countries and peoples of Africa as a world Apart. I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world – partners with America on behalf of the future we want for all of our children. That partnership must be grounded in responsibility and mutual respect”.
On July 14, the White House Spokesperson for the National Security Council, Ned Price, said that President Obama decided to invite Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi on short notice. Price said Obama decided to invite Al-Sisi because the African Union had restored Egypt’s full membership.
Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi declined Obama’s invitation to the White House saying that he did not have time to attend. Al-Sisi said that he would send Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab instead.
Al-Sisi’s polite rejection brings to mind Larry Weissman’s 2013 interview with the then General Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi who said:
“The people of Egypt are aware of the fact that the USA has stabbed Egypt in the back with the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi. It is nothing that Egypt will easily forget, or forgive”.
Saying these words, Al-Sisi didn’t only show true statesmanship and courage. He touched upon one of the central issues in African debates about neo-colonialism. That is, whether Mandubuchi Dukor was right when he expounded on the “African Unfreedom” and a growing number of African thinkers likeJohn Ezenwankwor who don’t reject Dukor but stress that “the African as a human being with free will and responsibility cannot continue to blame the colonizers when he has the choice either to reject the colonial predetermined events or to accept them taking responsibility for his actions”.
How exactly did the USA stab Egypt and its people in the back with Morsi and the Muslim Brothers?
In July 2012 the Chief of Egypt’s Military Intelligence, Omar Suleiman, died during a routine medical checkup in a U.S. Hospital in Cleavland. Omar Suleiman was not only one of the closest of Al-Sisi’s friends. Omar Suleiman also had detailed knowledge about the U.S., Qatari and Turkish intelligence services’ involvement in the Arab Spring.
Morsi became Egypt’s first democratically elected president. Morsi suspended the lower house of parliament and the judiciary without protests from the USA. Morsi changed Egypt’s constitution and election law, making it impossible for non-Islamist parties to compete in elections. The Obama administration praised Morsi for reforming Egypt. Morsi became Egypt’s first democratically elected dictator. U.S. propaganda sold the coup as struggle for freedom and democracy.
When the opposition demanded serious talks about the constitutional changes, the prominent Muslim Brotherhood leader Amr Darrag said that it was “a waste of time and that suspending the national dialog over the constitution issue was unrealistic”. It was after Darrag’s statement in January 2013 that the opposition began organizing mass protests.
In June 2013, Morsi achieved one more record. About 14 million Egyptians went to the streets and demanded that he either start talks with the opposition or step down. The military deployed to protect public buildings. The warning that the military had to step in unless Morsi began talking with the opposition was ignored.
The U.S. Response to the ouster of Morsi on July 3, 2013 was unequivocal condemnation. The worst betrayal, however, had yet to come.
In August, police and military announced that protesters would have to leave Rabia Square because the one month long occupation of the square had brought traffic and businesses in inner Cairo to a standstill.
Mysterious snipers were seen on rooftops, firing at those protesters who were following police orders to leave Rabia square. A panic ensued and people fled back to the square where they were met with automatic rifle fire. Hundreds of panicking protesters were mowed down by Muslim Brotherhood militants who opened fire from behind sand-sack enforced positions in the square.
Videos, showing military shooting, were distributed to Al-Jazeera. Not one word was said about the fact that the military fired at the gunmen who were firing into the protesters. 578 were killed, 4,021 injured.
The U.S. Response was unequivocal condemnation of the brutal massacre on peaceful pro-Morsi protesters. It was after this incident that Al-Sisi said:
“The people of Egypt are aware of the fact that the USA has stabbed Egypt in the back with the Muslim brotherhood and Morsi. It is something that Egypt will not easily forget or forgive”.
The U.S. State Department and Parallels to Ukraine
In February 2014, about 500 Ukrainian police officers and protesters were shot dead by mysterious snipers. The U.S. Response to the massacre was unequivocal condemnation of Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovich.
A leaked phone call between U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt proved that the U.S. micromanaged the regime change in Ukraine. During a hearing at the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Nuland had to admit that the U.S. was cooperating with Ukrainian Nazis.
A leaked phone call between E.U. Foreign Affairs chief Baroness Catherine Ashton and Estonian Foreign Minister Umeas Paet revealed that members of the western backed opposition were responsible for the mass killings.
There is one parallel between Cairo and Kiev that proves beyond reasonable doubt that the U.S. State Department was involved in inciting the violence in Cairo and in Kiev. The fliers which instructed the“peaceful protesters” in Cairo how to prepare for violent demonstrations were identical with the fliers which were distributed among the “peaceful protesters” in Kiev.
The organization behind these fliers is CANVAS, formerly known as DEMOZ. CANVAS is sponsored by the U.S. State Department. The organization has been involved in the subversions since Yugoslavia. It is one of the bits and pieces in the U.S. State Department’s toolkit for regime change.
To Busy to attend a Washington – Africa Leaders Summit with Obama in the White House
Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi politely rejected Obama’s invitation because he was too busy. The situation in Gaza requires attention. Egypt offered to open the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and the Sinai. Egypt’s only condition for the opening of the border is that it is the Palestinian unity-government and not Hamas or any other party that controls the Palestinian side of the border. Qatar and Turkey have so far advised Hamas to reject the proposal and the USA is not interested in a unity-government either.
Egypt is still coping with an armed insurgency in the Sinai. An insurgency that is supported by Turkey, Qatar, and by the faction of Hamas that is led by Khaled Mashal.
Obama had to hold the Washington – Africa Leaders Summit without Al-Sisi. The commander in chief of neo-colonialism and the first African American president in the White House is responsible for the death of more black Africans then the last five of his presidential predecessors. Al-Sisi has shown potential for becoming a true African leader. One that concludes the debate about Dukor and “African Unfreedom” with a show of free will and pragmatism.
Dr. Christof Lehmann an independent political consultant on conflict and conflict resolution and the founder and editor in chief of nsnbc, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.