Unified West Africa
24-07-2004, 22:29
FNN
The government of Sao Tome and Principe, recently wracked by the second coup attempt in a year, has agreed to hold a popular referendum on whether the country should join the Federation of Unified West Africa. The referendum comes amidst fears of repeated attempts to seize power by the military, and unrest over the prescence of the war between United Elias and Lusaka in Gabon.
Sao Tome and Principe is the smallest country in Africa, with an economy based primarily on cocoa and contains sizeable but unexploited oil reserves. Two weeks ago the nation experianced yet another coup attempt, the 3rd in a decade, by soldiers loyal to General Noriego da Costa and a small team of international mercenaries. The coup attempt failed after a brutal street battle which left 120 dead and most of the General's forces captured by palace guards and police.
The referendum is worded in such a way that even if it succeeds, minimal powers would be ceded to the Federation of Unified West Africa other than the ability to place national taxes and base troops in the area. The islands would keep their current leaders until the next election, and the country would become an Autonomous Province of the UWA. Autonomous Provinces are small, self-governing entities of the Federation based along ethnic lines with local self-governance and representation in the National Assembly.
International experts believe Sao Tome's moves originate less from a desire for pan-African unity than domestic and international insecurities. The country has been experiancing food shortages for some time due to its heavy reliance on cash crops, and government ministers fear the island might be seized due to its strategic placement in the center of the Gulf of Guinea. Unity with the Federation has been suggested by several government ministers as early as 2004 as a way to aleviate these threats to the country's security.
EDIT: The Federation of Unified West Africa's constitution also contains a clause stating that any freely joining member of the Federation may withdraw at any time if a referendum is held. For such a referendum to be put before the population, the Autonomous Province's local government must agree by a supra-majority after being brought a petition with the signatures of %20 of the local electorate.
The government of Sao Tome and Principe, recently wracked by the second coup attempt in a year, has agreed to hold a popular referendum on whether the country should join the Federation of Unified West Africa. The referendum comes amidst fears of repeated attempts to seize power by the military, and unrest over the prescence of the war between United Elias and Lusaka in Gabon.
Sao Tome and Principe is the smallest country in Africa, with an economy based primarily on cocoa and contains sizeable but unexploited oil reserves. Two weeks ago the nation experianced yet another coup attempt, the 3rd in a decade, by soldiers loyal to General Noriego da Costa and a small team of international mercenaries. The coup attempt failed after a brutal street battle which left 120 dead and most of the General's forces captured by palace guards and police.
The referendum is worded in such a way that even if it succeeds, minimal powers would be ceded to the Federation of Unified West Africa other than the ability to place national taxes and base troops in the area. The islands would keep their current leaders until the next election, and the country would become an Autonomous Province of the UWA. Autonomous Provinces are small, self-governing entities of the Federation based along ethnic lines with local self-governance and representation in the National Assembly.
International experts believe Sao Tome's moves originate less from a desire for pan-African unity than domestic and international insecurities. The country has been experiancing food shortages for some time due to its heavy reliance on cash crops, and government ministers fear the island might be seized due to its strategic placement in the center of the Gulf of Guinea. Unity with the Federation has been suggested by several government ministers as early as 2004 as a way to aleviate these threats to the country's security.
EDIT: The Federation of Unified West Africa's constitution also contains a clause stating that any freely joining member of the Federation may withdraw at any time if a referendum is held. For such a referendum to be put before the population, the Autonomous Province's local government must agree by a supra-majority after being brought a petition with the signatures of %20 of the local electorate.