How sad it is to see the sorry pass to which Laurent Gbagbo's intransigence, has brought our once stable and relatively prosperous neighbour, the Ivory Coast.
That nation's descent into violence and chaos is the direct result of the greed and foolishness, of its short-sighted southern ruling elites.
One hopes that the ordinary people of Ghana will learn a valuable lesson from the terrible plight of ordinary Ivorians - and refuse to be used as pawns by power-hungry politicians.
It is gratifying to know that Laurent Gbagbo will not be allowed to get away with the death and destruction his lust for power has resulted in. It is just and proper that he pays for his crimes against his people by being prosecuted.
It will also serve as an example, and warning, to other African leaders who might be tempted to follow his dreadful example, in future.
We must never allow Mother Ghana to be reduced to such straits, as a result of post-election disputes between power-hungry and power-mad politicians, under any circumstances.
One finds it difficult to understand those who ignore the suffering that Gbabgo's selfishness has caused his people - and choose instead to make a fuss about the fact that French special forces played a role in the storming of the bunker in his residence, which led to Quattera's men apprehending him. Why so, I ask?
What matters to ordinary Ivorians - who after all are the ones who bore the brunt of the mayhem and madness, incidentally - is that with Gbagbo's removal from power, the new Ivorian authorities can now focus on,and deal with, the widespread lawlessness and insecurity that is blighting their lives.
That is an essential requirement if a sense of normality is to return to those still living in the Ivory Coast.
It is also important that some of those in our midst who talk endlessly about his anti-imperialist credentials, and his resistance to the ambitions of neo-colonialists, do not close their eyes to the death and destruction, which Gbagbo's outrageous intransigence resulted in.
Surely, they do not want to give the impression that they care more about Gbagbo's anti-imperialism, than any blame attached to him for causing the unnecessary suffering that millions of ordinary Ivorians have endured, as their lives were turned upside down - by the violence and lawlessness resulting directly from his refusal to relinquish power?
Did he have to put them through all that death and destruction - just to hang on to power?
It is time those who lend their support to African leaders on the basis of the anti-imperialist rhetoric of such leaders, understood clearly that what matters most, in the Africa of today, is the quality of life of ordinary Africans, and their right to enjoy, on a daily basis, all the fundamental human rights guaranteed by the United Nations Agreements on Human Rights.
Yes, we must be wary of imperialism and the designs of neo-colonialists, but the protection of the freedoms of Africans transcends ideology.
If the Devil himself ascends from hell and offers troops to protect fellow Africans in humanitarian crises situations, such as that which the residents of Abidjan and elsewhere in the Ivory Coast have had to face, the Devil's imperialist designs and his neo-colonialist ambitions will be of no import. Period.
We have reached a stage in human history, when humankind has to put aside all difference, when need be, and act in unison to save the ordinary citizens of nations whose tyrannical leaders lead them down a path of destruction and death, just to hang on to power.
No African leader must carry on as if he or she were indispensable. No one is - and no leader on our continent must be allowed to resort to extreme violence and mass-murder, just to hang on to power when their people tire of their rule.
After all, in a very real sense, it is the ordinary people of Africa in whom sovereignty ultimately resides - not their rulers.
If we are honest about it, is it not most likely that the people of Southern Sudan, and Darfur, would kneel and offer prayers to thank their Maker and jump for joy, if France's special forces captured and spirited the murderous President Omar Bashir out of Sudan, and delivered him to the International Criminal Court (ICC), in The Hague - to stand trial for his may crimes against humanity?
As far as we can tell, thus far, no one forced Laurent Gbabgo to make the terrible choices that he made. He must bear ultimate responsibility for the many dreadful things that resulted from his unreasonableness and foolhardiness.
It was courageous of the new leader of the Ivory Coast, President Quattarah, to decide to hand Gbagbo over to the ICC.
It is doubtful that the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States, would have had the moral courage to hand him over to the ICC to stand trial for what really are crimes against humanity, which would never have occurred if he had not been so callous, selfish and extremely foolish.
Trying Gbagbo in The Hague, will be a clear signal to other African leaders, as well as tyrants elsewhere in the world, that the days of impunity for cruel and despotic leaders, are over.
In that regard, the AU and the ECOWAS must not fail ordinary Ivorians yet again, by not giving their full support to President Quattara's decision to hand Laurent Gbagbo over to the ICC, in The Hague.
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