AFRICA

Germany continues to deport Ethiopians despite Tigray crisis

German authorities sent asylum-seekers back to Ethiopia last year despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic and the Tigray conflict. Opposition politicians and human rights groups have condemned the move.

    

Deportations are likely to continue in 2021

December 28, 2020, was a day Mimi T. is not going to forget. All her hopes were dashed after she was forced on a flight back to Ethiopia with four German police officers in tow. According to advocacy groups, Mimi had come to Germany in 2009 after facing prosecution by the Ethiopian government for being an opposition member. She had also suffered from sexual abuse and arrest. In German, Mimi was treated for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"She was in a dire psychological state and had tried to commit suicide while in detention pending deportation," Wiebke Judith, of German advocacy group ProAsyl, told DW. "In the end, she was dropped off in Addis Ababa in a wheelchair, still wearing her prison attire. She has no family there and didn't know anyone."

Germany defends deportations

Mimi T. wasn't the only asylum-seeker deported back to Ethiopia last year. In late November, 10 people were flown to Addis Ababa on a chartered Ethiopian Airlines flight.

Germany chartered an Ethiopian Airlines to deport 10 Ethiopian asylum-seekers in November 2020

The German government says that all legal provisions were followed. "The legal requirements for the admissibility of a deportation result from the Residence Act. Prohibitions of deportation are always examined on a case-by-case basis. For example, a foreigner should not be deported to another country if there is a considerable, concrete danger to life, physical well-being or freedom," a spokeswoman for Germany's Interior Ministry told DW in a written statement.

But critics disagree. "Ethiopia is a country affected by civil war, flooding, the coronavirus pandemic, and a locust plague. There is no sign that the conditions will improve soon. Deporting people there in such a situation is not only unacceptable but also inhuman", Ulla Jelpke, a German Member of Parliament for the opposition Left party, told DW.

Tigray's dire humanitarian situation

The Tigray conflict escalated last November after the Ethiopian National Defense Force launched an offensive against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) that administered the region. Several thousand people are believed to have died in the conflict. According to UN estimates, over two million are in desperate need of aid. Just recently, German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to find a peaceful solution and to allow humanitarian aid to those in need. Ethnic tensions are also common in other parts of Ethiopia.

The Tigray conflict has worsened the humanitarian situation in the region

But that has not changed the German government's stance. "Deportations to Ethiopia through the relevant authorities in the [German] provinces are still possible," the home affairs spokeswoman wrote.

"They would argue that there are areas in Ethiopia that are safe, such as the capital. But that does not take into account that the situation could change quickly and that the whole region could be destabilized," Pro Asyl's Judith said.

A more rigorous approach to deportations

Figures released by the Interior Ministry following a written request by Jelpke show that German authorities have taken a more rigorous approach to asylum applications from Ethiopians in recent years.

In 2015, more than half of all applicants whose cases were determined were recognized as refugees or given some other form of protection. In 2019, that number was down to about 28%. Simultaneously, the number of applications dropped from a peak of 4,030 in 2016 to 1,054 in 2019.

German authorities are said to have taken a more restrictive stance towards asylum applications

Deportations to Ethiopia seem to continue this year. "I am afraid that it is going to be that way. The federal government is incorrigible," Jelpke said. Advocacy groups claim that preparations are already underway. According to the Bayerischer Flüchtlingsrat, a pro-refugee lobby group in Germany's southern state of Bavaria, authorities are preparing to deport a 22-year-old.

The woman, only identified as Sara A., is said to be a heroin-addict and has committed various petty crimes. However, according to the information provided, Sara A. was born in Germany and has never been to Ethiopia. She only has Ethiopian nationality because her parents came from there.

VIDEO Germany continues to deport Ethiopians despite Tigray crisis 

Pakistan: Anti-India rallies mark Kashmir Day

#KASHMIR IS #INDIA'S #GAZA

Pakistani leaders have expressed their support to the people of Kashmir, calling for the right to self-determination under a UN Resolution.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that his desire for peace 

should not be considered a sign of weakness

Pakistani leadership on Friday marked the annual "Day of Solidarity with Kashmir" with anti-India rallies in Muzaffarabad, the capital of the Pakistan-claimed Kashmir, local media reported.  

The disputed region, Jammu and Kashmir, has been divided between Pakistan and India since their independence in 1947. The two nuclear powers claim the region in its entirety.

What did the protesters demand?

The protests called for Kashmir’s right to self-determination under a 1948 UN Resolution, which called for a referendum for the people to choose between India or Pakistan.     

Pakistani political leaders, including former president Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Imran Khan, led the rallies.  

Khan said that Pakistan supported the people of Kashmir in their fight for "legitimate rights," adding that it was India’s responsibility to provide an "enabling environment" for peace. 

"God willing, Pakistan will give the right to Kashmiri people to decide whether they want to remain independent or become part of Pakistan," Khan said at a rally in the Pakistan-administered town of Kotli.

The former cricket player also expressed willingness to resume talks with India, on the condition that New Delhi restores special status to the Indian-administered parts of Kashmir. 

"Our desire for peace and stability should not be misunderstood or considered a sign of our weakness," added Khan.

According to a UN Security Council resolution in 1948, a plebiscite was to be offered to the people of Kashmir, giving them a choice to join either India or Pakistan. The referendum never happened. India has rejected the offer to hold a plebiscite till Pakistan withdraws its troops from the Kashmir region.

What is the conflict about?  

India and Pakistan have fought two wars over Jammu and Kashmir. 

Before the two countries' independence from Britain, the Muslim-majority Kashmir was ruled by a Hindu leader, Hari Singh.  

Singh sought India’s protection when the Islamic Republic of Pakistan tried to seize control over the region, marking the first war over Kashmir.  

As India tried to make a name for itself as a secular nation, its control over the Muslim-majority state was crucial for its diversity and coexistence.  

The war, which ended in 1949, divided the state along the unofficial border "Line of Control" (LoC). 

Since 1989, India has deployed hundreds of thousands of soldiers to fight rebel groups in the region. 

India has long accused Pakistan of arming militias in Kashmir, although the Islamic Republic insisted it only provided diplomatic support.  

Separatists have turned the region into a scene of low-level insurgency, pressing for further access to local resources. 

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict over the years. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Watch video 02:17 First anniversary of Kashmir autonomy revocation

ABOUT TIME

ICC clears way for war crimes probe of Israeli actions

Judges in The Hague said the court could investigate cases in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel branded the ruling 'political', while Palestinians said it was a 'victory for truth.'

    

ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda believes there is a 'reasonable basis' for a war crimes probe in Gaza

The International Criminal Courtruled on Friday that it has jurisdiction over the Palestinian Territories occupied by Israel since a 1967 war.

In a two-to-one decision, the court said it has the power to rule on cases in "Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem."

The decision could clear the way for The Hague-based tribunal’s chief prosecutor to open a war crimes probe into Israeli military actions.

Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in 2019 that there was a “reasonable basis” to open a war crimes probe into Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip in 2014.

She named both the Israeli Defence Forces and armed Palestinian groups such as Hamas as possible perpetrators.

The 2014 conflict left nearly 2,000 Palestinians and more than 60 Israelis dead.

The Gambian lawyer also wanted to investigate Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank. 

But she asked the court to determine whether she has territorial jurisdiction before proceeding with the case.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the ruling, calling the court “a political body and not a judicial institution.”

“The ICC ignores the real war crimes and instead pursues the State of Israel, a state with a strong democratic government that sanctifies the rule of law,” he said.

The Palestinian Authority’s Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh hailed the ruling as “a victory for truth, justice, freedom and moral values in the world.”

The Palestinians, who joined the court in 2015, have pushed for the case.

Israel, which is not a member of the ICC, has long argued that the court has no jurisdiction.

It says there is no sovereign Palestinian state that could delegate to the court criminal jurisdiction over its territory and nationals.

But the ICC could still issue arrest warrants that would make it difficult for Israeli officials to travel abroad. 

The international community widely considers the settlements to be illegal under international law.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 war, territories the Palestinians want for their future state. 

Some 700,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians say they are an obstacle to peace.

Watch video 01:56 Palestinian territories face vaccine shortage

West Bank: Living with Uncertainty

Turkey: Erdogan promises 'no mercy' towards Istanbul protesters

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has dismissed criticism over his handling of ongoing protests at Bogazici University and promised to show “no mercy” towards demonstrators.


President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday struck back at international criticism regarding Turkey's response to students protests, telling western nations to focus on unrest in their own countries.

Students and faculty have organized multiple demonstrations at Bogazici University and other areas in the past few weeks, after the Turkish president appointed a rector there with ties to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

"I will say this to America: aren't you ashamed of the incidents in the United States before the elections?" Erdogan said while leaving a mosque for Friday prayers. "Racism went over the roof,” he added, referring to the racial justice demonstrations across the US last year.

The Turkish president also addressed French President Emmanuel Macron's criticism of the demonstrations, saying Paris needs to "sort out” the "yellow vest" protests.

US expresses support for protesters

The US State Department has criticized anti-LGBT rhetoric surrounding the protests. Turkey's interior minister has characterized the protesters as "perverts" on Twitter.

The government has slammed the protesters as 'LGBT+ perverts'

"The United States....stands shoulder to shoulder with all those fighting for their fundamental democratic freedoms,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said this week about the protests, adding that freedom of speech, "even speech that some may find uncomfortable, is a critical component of vibrant functioning democracy.”

Demonstrators demand resignation of new rector

Bogazici University's new rector, Melih Bulu, previously ran as an AKP parliamentary candidate in 2015. University faculty and students have slammed Erdogan's decision to appoint Bulu, because they believe the university's rector should be elected from within the institution. Critics see the move as undemocratic, and an attempt to push conservative values on the left-leaning university. Demonstrators called on Bulu to resign.

Watch video 02:49 Turkish students march in rare defiance of Erdogan

Erdogan has previously called the student demonstrators "terrorists” and "LGBT youth" who lack Turkey's "national and spiritual values." The Turkish government has banned the university demonstrations.

On the other hand, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a member of the left-leaning Republican People's Party (CHP), has expressed support for the protests.
Another Gezi movement?

Turkish authorities claim they have arrested some 600 people since the protests began on Jan. 4, following the appointment of Bulu as rector. The civil unrest has marked some of the largest protests in Turkey since 2013, when demonstrators took to the streets en masse against an urban development plan at Istanbul's Gezi park.

Although the 2013 protests originally focused on environmental concerns, demonstrators also called for the resignation of Erdogan's government, challenging his authority. Erdogan characterized the demonstrators as "looters,” with the Turkish authorities arresting thousands of protesters at the time.

wd/dj (AP, Reuters)

Opinion: Erdogan fears Generation Z

Protests at Istanbul’s Bosphorus University against an Erdogan-appointed rector have led to harsh crackdowns. The president fears a second Gezi Park movement, says Banu Güven.



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fears the protests that have erupted at Istanbul's Bosphorus University (Eds. note: Also known as Bogazici University) against his totalitarian rule. He has retaliated with an iron-fisted approach.

In the 1990s, I studied at Bosphorus University, which is situated on the European side of the city and offers English-language teaching. During this time, I worked as an assistant to professor Ustun Erguder, the institution's rector at the time.
A bastion of liberalism

Bosphorus University is one of Turkey's few remaining bastions of democratic and liberal thought. Its resilient faculty and critically minded students are a thorn in Erdogan's side; they are the sort of forces he wishes to purge from Turkey. The university is a safe haven for liberals, anarchists, feminists, LGBTQI+ activists, Kurds, the left, atheists and even — to Erdogan's horror — pious Muslims, who fear no-once except Allah.

They study and teach side-by-side at this university, on this beautiful campus, near River Bosphorus. And they reject the new Erdogan-appointed rector, Melih Bulu, arguing he committed plagiarism, which disqualifies anyone from leading one of Turkey's top universities. It has also emerged that he used to be an active member of Erdogan's ruling AKP party and in 2009 considered running as mayor. It is evident that President Erdogan wishes to install Bulu to control this elite institution. But that won't work.

For weeks, lecturers and students have been staging midday protests, lining up outside with their backs to the rector's office. These days, Bulu must be the loneliest rector in the entire world.

Hundreds of arrests

President Erdogan is angered by such resistance. And by staging creative protests and posting online videos, the students are attracting ever more public attention. Students at other universities have already expressed solidary with them. Erdogan, in turn, has brought in the police to crush such protests. Hundreds of students were temporarily arrested; four remain in custody.

Erdogan and Devlet Bahceli, who heads Turkey's nationalist MHP junior coalition partner, lash out against the students almost daily, branding them "terrorists." In an effort to further delegitimize the protests. Erdogan has even resorted to stoking homophobia, claiming "there is no such thing as LGBT." AKP Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, meanwhile, called the movement "revolting."
First-time voters threat to AKP power

Erdogan is resorting to violence because he fears a movement akin to the 2013 Gezi park protests. He is desperately trying to delegitimize the students as he worries they could vote him out in the 2023 election. He is on to something: in two years time, 5 million young Turks will have reached voting age, comprising about 12% of the total electorate. Only a small faction would cast their ballot for the president — that much is clear from the thousands of dislikes and negative comments Erdogan's 2020 YouTube live stream attracted.

This is how President Erdogan presented himself to the young generation on social media in June 2020

Various surveys show that Turkey's Generation Z has little sympathy for Erdogan and his ideas. According to one poll by the Gezici Arastırma Merkezi institute conducted last year, 76.4% of respondents said they regard the rule of law and democracy as top priorities for Turkey. A mere 15.7% of Generation Z voters say they regularly pray — bad news for President Erdogan, who aims to make Turkey more pious. On top of it all, a MetroPoll poll found that 55% of AKP supporters favored university rectors to be democratically elected, rather than appointed by the president.

How much more brutal will Erdogan get?

Bosphorus University rector Bulu insists he will not resign — which he cannot anyway, unless President Erdogan replaces him with someone else. So Bulu hopes the protests will slowly dissipate.

Erdogan's brutal police crackdown will prevent a second Gezi park uprising. But this violence will not change the minds of Turkey's young. The more force the president marshals, the sooner his downfall will come. The question is: how much more violent can Erdogan become in years to come?

Watch video 02:49 Turkish students march in rare defiance of Erdogan

Turkish journalist Banu Güven received an award for her work on press freedom in Turkey in 2017

Banu Güven is a Turkish journalists and television presenter. She writes for various German and Turkish media outlets. She has been living and working in Germany since 2018.

Ankara calls student protesters 'LGBT perverts' amid artwork controversy

Clashes between students from Bogazici University and Turkish police show no sign of abating. Many students have been arrested, while the interior minister has lashed out with homophobic hate speech over an artwork. 

Students at Bogazici University in Istanbul have been protesting for 

weeks about a controversial appointment

Turkish police have responded to protests by students at Istanbul's Bogazici University with an iron fist. On Monday alone, they arrested 159 students — 61 of them remain in custody, according to the Turkish news agency Anadolu.  Since early January, there have been regular police raids or arbitrary arrests of students who have been protesting against the appointment of Professor Melih Bulu, a supporter of Erdogan, as the rector of the prestigious university. 

Over the last four weeks, there have been numerous clashes around the Bogazici University campus. But one incident has proved particularly polarizing in Turkey.

On Saturday the students organized an art exhibition on the campus. One work showed the Kaaba, considered one of the most sacred sites in Islam, alongside the rainbow flag, the symbol of the LGBTQI+ movements. The Istanbul prosecutor's office has launched an investigation, and four students were arrested, with two of them still in detention.

Police have used extreme force against demonstrators

Interior Minister Soylu: 'Four LGBT perverts'

Afterward, Turkey's interior minister, Suleyman Soylu, condemned the students in a tweet: "Four LGBT perverts who denigrated the Kaaba at Bogazici University have been arrested." On Tuesday, the social media platform Twitter put a disclaimer on the post for inciting hatred.

Ali Erbas, Turkey's most senior cleric and the president of the top religious body, Diyanet, also used Twitter to censure the artwork, posting: "I condemn the attack on the Muslim's holy site, the Kaaba and on our Islamic values." He said that he would take legal measures against the people responsible.

His critics, however, see the state as the aggressor. "Interior Minister Soylu's statements are an example of hate speech," according to constitutional law expert Serkan Koybasi. He accused Erbas of violating the principle of secularism long enshrined in Turkey's constitution — a religion and its values, he said, could not be defended by court actions.

Sule Ozsoy Boyunsuz, a constitutional law expert at Galatasaray University, also sharply criticized the interior minister's statements. She said his comments were polarizing in a way that senior politicians with a lot of responsibility should avoid. She also sees the controversial comments as a violation of the personal rights of gay, lesbian, transgender and queer people. 

University teachers have been turning their backs on the rectory in protest at the appointment

Many legal experts and lawyers have also criticized the actions of the Istanbul police. Law professor Sule Ozsoy Boyunsuz said that the European Convention on Human Rights defended the freedom of artistic expression to a considerable degree: "The two students were arrested for 'incitement of hatred and ill will' and for 'insulting religious values.' But I do not see any criminal offense such as the incitement of hatred and ill will."

The students and many professors see the choice of Melih Bulu as university rector as interference with academic freedoms and a violation of the democratic values of the university. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the appointment of the 51-year-old by personal decree.

Bulu is a founding member of the AKP party in Istanbul's Sariyer district. He wanted to stand for the governing AKP in the 2015 parliamentary elections but was not nominated. Some students and university lecturers think that the professor, with his conservative background, is not a good fit for Bogazici University, which is seen one of the country's most eminent bastion of liberalism.

Circumventing censorship

The demonstrators are also mobilizing support via social media platforms, as is now often the case. #AsagiBakmayacagiz (English: We won't keep our heads down) has gone viral on Twitter. The hashtag was sparked by an online video which showed police officers calling on protesting students to do just that.

The police later tried to frame the officers' words as an anti-coronavirus measure. Numerous videos are now circulating under the hashtag that reveal the police's tough actions against protesters — images that are rarely being shown by pro-government newspapers and TV stations.

The demonstrators are also trying to circumvent strict press censorship with the new Clubhouse app. Some 5,000 students, journalists and politicians have exchanged views using the tool. Their conclusion is that the Turkish government is trying to use the incident with the rainbow flag to portray the demonstrators as sinful blasphemers and criminalize their protests.

This article has been adapted from German.

Watch video 04:21 Students in Istanbul clash with police – Julia Hahn reportsMuch-criticized appointment

 

Middle East: Are people losing their religion?

Recent surveys indicate strongly that across the Middle East and Iran, almost half the population is loosening their ties to Islam. Governments have reacted differently to calls for reforms of institutional religion.

    

In a survey, 58% of Iranians said they do not believe in the hijab altogether

 — while around 72% opposed the compulsory hijab

Few topics are as delicate as religion — especially in the Middle East.

Officially, Arab states have major Muslim populations, varying from around 60% in Lebanon to almost 100% in Jordan or Saudi Arabia. Since the countries' religious establishments also serve as governmental bodies, governments play a significant role in religious life, as they often control prayers, media or school curriculums.

However, several recently conducted and very comprehensive surveys in the Middle East and Iran, have come to similar conclusions: They all show an increase in secularization and growing calls for reforms in religious political institutions. 

Lebanon losing the religion

The conclusion after 25,000 interviews in Lebanon, by one of the largest pollsters in the region, the Arab Barometer, a research network at Princeton University and the University of Michigan, is "Personal piety has declined some 43% over the past decade, indicating less than a quarter of the population now define themselves as religious." 

One Lebanese woman told DW of her experience growing up in a conservative household. "I come from a very religious family, my parents forced me to wear the veil when I was only 12 years old," said the 27-year-old, who does not want her name published out of fear of reprisal. "They constantly threatened me that if I remove my veil, I will burn in hell."

Only years later, at university, she met a group of friends who were atheists. "I gradually became convinced of their beliefs, so one day before going to uni, I decided to remove my veil and leave the house," she said.

"The hardest part was facing my family, deep down, I was ashamed that I put my parents down." 

However, in Lebanon, it is almost impossible to not be officially linked to religion, as the civil registry includes the sectarian identity of every Lebanese citizen. Among the 18 options, "non-religious" is not listed. 

The survey included 40,000 literate interviewees above 19 years in Iran, with an astonishing 47% reported to have gone from religious to non-religious

Iranians quest for religious change

A recent surveyamong 40,000 interviewees by the Group for Analysing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN), which researched Iranians' attitudes toward religion, found that no less than 47% reported "having transitioned from being religious to non-religious"

Pooyan Tamimi Arab, assistant professor of Religious Studies at Utrecht University and co-author of the survey, sees this transition, as well as the quest for religious change, as a logical consequence of Iran's secularization. "The Iranian society has undergone huge transformations, such as the literacy rate has gone up spectacularly, the country has experienced massive urbanization, economic changes have affected traditional family structures, the internet penetration rate grew to be comparable with the European Union and fertility rates dropped," Tamimi Arab told DW.

Compared with Iran’s 99.5% Shiite census figure, GAMAAN found that 78% of the participants believed in God — but only 32% identified themselves as Shiite Muslims. Figures show that 9% identified as atheist, 8% as Zoroastrian, 7% as spiritual, 6% as agnostic, and 5% as Sunni Muslim. Around 22% identified with none of these religions.

Tehran's Hasan Abad, the only neighborhood in the region 

that brings together followers of four religions

"We see an increase in secularization and a diversity of faiths and beliefs," Tamimi Arab told DW. From his point of view, however, the most decisive factor is "the entanglement of state and religion, which has caused the population to resent institutional religion even as the overwhelming majority still believes in God."

A woman in Kuwait, who requested DW not publish her name due to safety concerns, also strictly differentiates between Islam as a religion and Islam as a system. "As a teenager, I didn’t find any proof of the government's claimed regulations in the Quran."

She recalls how, around 20 years ago, such thoughts had been mainly resented — but today the difference in the people’s attitude toward Islam can be felt everywhere. "Rejecting the submission to Islam as a system doesn’t mean rejecting Islam as a religion," she explained. 

The rise of the 'nones'

The sociologist Ronald Inglehart, Lowenstein Professor of Political Science emeritus at the University of Michigan and author of the book Religious Sudden Decline, has analyzed surveys of more than 100 countries, carried out from 1981-2020. Inglehart has observed that rapid secularization is not unique to a single country in the Middle East. "The rise of the so-called 'nones,' who do not identify with a particular faith, has been noted in Muslim majority countries as different as Iraq, Tunisia, and Morocco," Tamimi Arab added.

Saudi Arabia has re-assessed anti-religious thoughts as terrorism

The threat of changing attitudes

The more people differentiate between religion as a faith and religion as a system, the louder the calls for reforms. "The trend puts a dent in the efforts of Iran as well as its rivals, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, that are competing for religious soft power and leadership of the Muslim world," said James Dorsey, senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

Dorsey, an expert on the region, highlights two contrasting examples. While the United Arab Emirates has lifted the bans on alcohol consumption and unmarried couples living together, Saudi Arabia has labeled having atheist thoughts as a form of terrorism.

As an example, Dorsey references Saudi dissident and activist Raif Badawi, who was convicted of apostasy, or insulting Islam. Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 1,000 lashes for questioning why Saudis are obliged to adhere to Islam — and asserting that religion did not have the answers to all of life's questions.

Razan Salman contributed to this article from Beirut.

Watch video 42:36 Quadriga - Beyond Belief - How Religion Fuels Conflict

 

Opinion: 'Vaccine privilege' could haunt the West

The early development of COVID-19 vaccines should have helped Western nations gain more influence over Africa. But from an ethical and organizational standpoint, they have blown it spectacularly, writes DW's Cai Nebe.

   

Africa has been largely left to scramble for COVID-19 vaccines

BioNTech-Pfizer, Moderna, Janssen, Oxford-AstraZeneca, CureVac — a formidable combination of vaccines developed in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States in record time to save the world from the coronavirus pandemic. That is, as long as the West can stop squabbling in the first place.

Developing the coronavirus vaccines in under a year and making them available is, without doubt, an incredible achievement. However, it brings with it a certain "vaccine privilege." The EU, for example, has outstripped Africa in buying up coronavirus vaccines, despite being home to a small fraction compared to Africa's population

The West, specifically Europe and the United States, is not exactly new to being privileged compared to developing countries in Africa and elsewhere. For decades, the West has had the upper hand in trade, political power and military might.

West no longer the best

But this COVID-19 pandemic is different for two reasons.

For the first time in living memory, the West is facing a health crisis on par with, and in some cases worse than, what has been experienced on multiple occasions across the African continent.

Vaccines from Russia and China are competing strongly with Western 

developed vaccines in Africa

The reaction in Europe, at least outwardly, has been to pull up the drawbridge and "secure the fortress," even to the disadvantage of EU members. Remember the scramble for personal protective equipment (PPE) in 2020? Travel bans where EU members abruptly closed internal Schengen borders — one of the bloc's cherished accomplishments? The naming of the "South African variant," the "Brazilian variant," and the "UK variant"? — Former US President Trump was criticized for referring to the SARS-CoV-2 virus as the "China virus."

Secondly, for the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the West is in competition with other powers for dictating the world's political and economic trajectory. While some may argue China, Russia and India have not suffered as much, these countries' attitude has been markedly different. It speaks volumes that China has offered to make its SinoVac vaccine available to African countries. Guinea, Argentina, and Chile are already using Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. And while only a fool would believe Russia and China's intentions are completely magnanimous in sharing their vaccine privilege with developing countries, actions are speaking louder than words.

Tough timing and the 'me first' syndrome

Perhaps the vaccine rollout came at a bad time: the United States faced an insurrection at its own Capitol; the EU and the UK were embroiled in a bitter Brexit divorce. Maybe China — with its low infection rate — had a head start allowing it the flexibility to offer vaccines abroad.

But there is never a perfect time to have a global pandemic, something sub-Saharan African countries are all too aware of.  For many, COVID-19 joins a bunch of pre-existing maladies like poor public health infrastructure, chronic unemployment, and wilting economies.  Tanzanian President John Magufuli went as far as to say his country doesn't plan to order vaccines — an extreme and likely misguided directive, but popular in the East African nation.

Medical assistance in Africa normally entails begging the West for help and entering into a relationship of dependence. A Rwandan former health minister, Agnes Binagwaho, best summed it up when referring to the EU: "Be frank and say, 'My people first.' Don't lie to me and say we'll be equal."

Kenyan Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe added it would be "foolish" to depend on Western nations.

Kenya's Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe has been critical of the West's 

hoarding of coronavirus vaccines

More divisions, no equality

Those hoping the COVID-19 pandemic would be a great leveler between the rich and emerging countries have been sorely disappointed.

If ever there was a moment revealing the EU especially had washed its hands of leading the charge against COVID-19, it was the embarrassing wrangling between the bloc and vaccine producer AstraZeneca. Countries not even getting a sniff at vaccinations watched in utter bemusement as wealthy European countries squabbled over access to millions of vaccines. The back-and-forth threatened to descend into childish mudslinging matches.

The vaccine rollout should have been and could have been the best of a unified West reclaiming lost global clout. But instead, the rollout has been divisive, nationalistic, despite the EU's efforts to show unity by ordering vaccines as a bloc.

Debates will rage about whether the vaccine rollout in the West and EU countries was successful or if Western nations could have done more to share their vaccine privilege. Those arguing it is not the West's job to save the world from a public health disaster should take note of China's actions: while not accepting responsibility for causing the pandemic, or in some cases denying the virus originated there, China is doing a much better job of appearing to solve the pandemic.

It seems the West has treated vaccination as a right for itself and a privilege for the rest. This is a mistake. After this debacle, it's difficult to imagine African countries turning to, or trusting, the West in public health matters again.