Mbalamwezi, asante kwa hiyo article, now you are heading the right direction.
Hapo nyuma, nimesema kwamba, hawa wanajulikana kama Mercenaries, lakini kusema ukweli siku hizi wamebadilisha jina ili kuwafanya wakubalike, na wanajulikana kama 'Private Military Companies' (yaani wanakata dili kama Kampuni), na amini usiamini hawa jamaa wapo Iraq kwa chini ya baraka za (sanasana) Marekani (eg Blackwater), Uingereza inawezekana wana watu wao etc. Jamaa hawa wamejaa sehemu kama Nigeria kwenye fujo za mafuta wakilinda wafanyakazi wa makampuni makubwa wasitekwe wala kuuwawa. They are effective and they make big bucks.
I bet you (but dont quote me or hold my word), hawa jamaa wa PMC's wapo Tanzania kwenye makampuni ya madini etc. Tena wasauzi baada ya ANC kuushinda uongozi wa makaburu, jamaa hawa wengi waliingia katika hii biashara.
Swali lako la mwisho, mimi naamini wamarekani kutaka Africom, ndio wanataka waelekee direction hii. Yaani hiyo Africom iwe compact well drilled machine. Wamarekani naona hawapendi UN, na katika mambo ya kuleta usalama, UN wapotezaji wa pesa wakubwa na hawafanyi chochote....hakuna wanajeshi waoga kama wa UN. All they want is to get paid, and the longer the conflict, the better for their pockets. So, kwa hapa mimi niko for PMC's anytime.
Kuhusu hiyo article uliyoweka hapo, si umeona imeingia 2001? Hapo ni baada ya UN kuchemsha Sierra Leone. Tena naamini kuna sehemu kipindi hicho Koffi Annan aliwa-big up makampuni kama haya, kwani anajua bila wao UN did nothing in Sierra Leone. Na hata Rwanda/Congo ali-consider kudeal na 'Mercenaries'.
Hiyo article imewekwa, kwasababu uki-deal na Mercenaries, katika vita, wenyewe wanachagua upande wowote unaolipa. Kwahiyo mfano wa Comoros, huyu jamaa wamekuwa waki-negotiate kwa miezi, ukute kashapata Mercenaries wake (ingawa wakishikwa ni kosa kubwa), na so long ana pesa zake, atakuwa kanunua vifaa kutoka kwa arm dealers. Kuna mrusi (nadhani) kashikwa last week, yeye kazi kuuza vifaa, na atauza upande wowote ule ili mradi anapata pesa yake. Kashikwa tu kwasababu kakanyaga anga za wamarekani, bila ya hivyo wasingemshika.
Hakuna hatari ya kuanza kucreate demand ili kusababisha supply hatimaye wawe na soko?
Uwezekano huo upo, ndio inakuja ishu ya which side is right. Ikija kwenye mambo ya natural resources, the side that is sitting on the natural resources tends to be the 'right' side, depending on where your interests lie. Imagine huyo msela wa Comoros kakalia mafuta (sijui amewadindia nini), vita vikim-favour, usije shangaa watu wanakuwa upande wake.
Believe it or not, huyu Gadaffi anajifanya mwafrika sana, lakini huyu alikuwa mmoja wa masupporter wakubwa wa Charles Taylor na Foday Sankoh (sababu Foday Sankoh alikuwa amekalia Diamonds). Foday Sankoh walipomtoa kwenye machimbo......marafiki zake wakamchunia (by the way, Foday Sankoh naye alikuwa na Mercenaries, anawalipa diamonds. Ndio mambo ya Blood Diamonds hayo na sheria zake yalitokea huko).
Congo-Kinshansa mfano mzuri, kuna pande nyingi, na kila upande una Mercenaries. Mobutu, kama 'elected' or 'genuine' president angeweza kubaki madarakani kama asingekuwa tight na pesa zake. Kabila alishinda sababu ya Mercenaries na wanajeshi wa Mobutu walikuwa demoralised (ndio maana wengine tulishangaa jeshi letu wamekatiwa maji kikatili, which is no way to deal with your army, lakini hiyo ishu nyingine).
Sijafuatilia nini kinaendelea Chad, ila wale 'rebels' si bado hawajamtoa president? Wewe rebels wafike hadi wazunguke ikulu washindwe kukutoa? So lazima kuna njugu/contract zimemwagwa, watu wakatulizana, pande zikaanza ku-negotiate. Hapo wafaransa ukute wanacheza pande zote mbili. Kama vipi, wanachomeka Mercenaries wao, bila mimi na wewe kujua, and whichever side wins, it becomes the right side.
Rais Wa Chad Ni Fisadi
Yes, demand inaweza kuwepo, lakini pia ukiangalia across africa, fujo hizi zinatokana kwa sababu ya tamaa ya viongozi kushindwa kutumia utajiri wa nchi vizuri na kujitajirisha wenyewe. It takes one crazy guy (like Comoro, Angola, Sierra Leone au Eq. Guinea etc) to make you force to chose which side is the right side.