Qaddafi May be Right This Time: It is Time to Change Africa's Map or Else the Change Will Take Its Natural Course

Introduction: Libya 
This is a country basically founded by the Sannusiya sect, which is a moderate Sunni Muslim religious Sufi order.The “Sanusi” Muslim order waged a war of liberation against the brutal Italian occupation of  Libya. Like the Kadirya Muslim orders, the Sanusi Sufi order is are relatively moderate Muslim sect.

Successive Sanusi leaders has took part in the long struggle for the Libyan indepednence which started in 1912. Imam Omar Mukhtar a highly referred figure in Libya was the leader of that struggle until his capture and eventual execution by the Italians. The late king Adris 1 Al-Sanusi of Libya’s grand father, father and himself were involved in the Libyan struggle for independence. In 1951 Libya became an independent country and King Idris Sanusi 1 was declared the king of a unified Libya comprising of the former three autonomous regions of Tripolitania, Cyremaica and Fezzan. King Idris Al-Sanusi was over thrown by Qadaffi in 1969.
 
The Moderate Sunni Sects Involves in the Struggle for Independence
 
Muslim sects leading liberation movements in the Muslim world is not something new. In the 1840s Abdulkadir Al-Jazairi started a war of liberation against the French in Algeria (Al-Jazair). Abdulkadir Al-Jazairi was a leader of the Suni “Kadirya” sect of French Algeria. Imam Ahmed Ibrahim of Zeila also belong to the “Kadirya”sect of Sunni Islam. Through out of his long reign he stood for the liberation, independence and the defense of Zeila, Ifet and later the Great Adel Impire. The “Mahdiya” was another “Kadirya” sect in the Sudan. They waged a struggle for liberation against the British colonial authorities in Sudan. The “Mahdiya” has been led by a chararmatic leader called Mohamed Ahmed Al-Mahdi. The leader of the current Sudanese Ummah Party, Sadiq Al-Mahdi s a great grandson of Mohamed Ahmed Al-Mahdi. Mohamed Abdulla Hassan led a war against the British and he belongs to the conservative Suni “Salihiya” Sect. There were also other other Sunni sects that struggled  against the British in India way before the Mahtama Ghandi movement of the 1940s. This shows the moderate Sunni Muslim sects such as the Kadirya and the Sanusi sects were instrumental in the liberation and independence of many Muslim countires. These Sunni sects were unique because they were moderate and also were for the co-existence with the other great world religions. 

 
Libya and especially the easter state of Cyrenaica was the seat of the influencial Sannusi sect. The Sannusi sect a modern Suni Muslim sect was instrumental in Libya is war of libration against the Italian Fascists. Shiekh Omar Mukhtar the Libyan version of George Washington of Libya has led the Libyan war of liberation that went on from 1912-1945. The sect led Libya to independence in 1951. 
      
Qaddafi-Africa Needs a New Map
 
Colonel Qaddafi always a controversial figure has recently made uproar in Africa and especially among the African leaders. He said Africa needs a new map because the map left by the colonial powers did not work. That triggered quite a stir and controversy in Africa. He went further than that by suggesting Nigeria needs to be split at least three states and may be more. He pointed to the fact many post independent countries such as Nigeria, Congo and others failed to become viable and unified states. He said huge countries resided multiple ethnic groups should never had to be one country. The latter two nations never saw a real stability since independence. 
 
The clash of European concept of a nation state as multicultural amalgamation of ethnic, cultural and political entity failed to work in Africa. Fifty years after 1960 and the European colonial departure from the continent, neither brought independence nor economical vitality and political cohesiveness. The European creation, the so-called nation state is passing through a huge pressure in the non European world and especially Africa. Experts are predicting Africa will witness seismic changes and the realignment of so many countries in the coming 20 years.
 
 
Qaddafi has a point but what about if Libya itself can’t be exempt from European mess and arbitrary division of the continent, which was done according to convenience and spheres of influences. They carelessly divided the continent. Can you believe a giant geographical entity called Congo was called one country? There thousands of ethnicities, hundreds of different languages and cultures. That may why Congo never has stability. In 1969 as soon as the Belgium left Congo has split into several states.  The early violence, European meddling and inference has costed the life one of Africa beloved leaders Patrice Lumumba.   
 
 
Case Study-Libya
 
Though looks political stable, peaceful and an integrated state thanks to the oil Libya seems to be more stable and cohesive than most African states. Despite all that the country is composed into three major states which were never unified in their history. They were Tripolitania which is the N.W. part of the country. The capital of Libya is in Tripolitania. Tripolitania has a Maghreb orientation and it has a lot in common with the other Maghreb (sun set) countries such as Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Cyrenaica has a Masreq (sun rise) orientation, which are Egypt, Sham (lavent), and the Arabian Peninsula. Benghazi a major Libyan seaport is the capital of Cyrenaica. Abdulsalam Jalud the former Libyan vice-president was from Cyrenaica. Cyrenaica is the home state of the former king of Libya, King Iddris 1 Al-Sansui. He was the leader of a Sunni Sufi sect called Al-Sannusiya which was instrumental in the liberation of Libyan from the Italian fascists. Omar Al-Mukhtar a warrior insurgent leader against the Italians was also a Sanusi sect leader. Fezzan which lies in southern Libya has always have good relationship with both the coast part region of Tripolitania and also with sub Saharan Africa. Sabha is the capital of Fezzan. During the Italian occupation of Libya from 1912 to WWII Libya was still divided into the above named three distinct regions.
 
Libya achieved its independence in 1951. This is a country which was a segmented tribal society through most of its history. The name Libya came from Berber because Berbers tribes were living in Libya for a long time. Today Berbers make very small number of the Libyan population. Although ancient in origin, these names were not used to designate the specific territory of modern Libya and its people until the twentieth century, nor indeed was the whole area formed into a coherent political unit until then. Hence, despite the long and separate histories of its regions, modern Libya must be viewed as a new country still developing one cohesive national consciousness and identity. Geography was the principal determinant in the separate historical development of Libya’s three traditional regions Tripolitania, Cyrenaica, and Fezzan. These three regions were cut off from each other by formidable deserts that are why each one kept its separate identity into the 1960s. At the heart of Tripolitania was its metropolis, Tripoli, for centuries was a terminal for caravans cutting through Saharan trade routes and a huge port in Tripoli. Tripolitania’s cultural ties were with the Maghreb, which it is tied to both geographically and culturally.Tripolitania is developed their political consciousness in reaction to foreign domination, and it was from Tripolitania that the strongest feeling for unification was originated.
 
In contrast to Tripolitania, Cyrenaica historically was oriented toward Egypt and the Mashriq. With the exception of some of its coastal towns, Cyrenaica has escaped political influence of the regimes that claimed it but were unable to assert their authority in the hinterland. An element of internal unity was brought to the region’s tribal society in the nineteenth century by a Muslim religious order, the Sansui has Sufi sect brought about an element of unity and cohesiveness to the Cyrenaica’s tribal society. Cyrenaica’s showed their determination to keep their regional autonomy even after Libyan independence and the unification of the three former Libyan of Tripolitania, Cyrenaica and Fezzan.
 
Fezzan is different that both Tripolitania and Cyrenaica. It has neither Maghreb nor Mashriq orientation. Its nomads histoircally looked for leadership to tribal dynasties that controlled the oases along the desert trade routes. Throughout its history, Fezzan kept good with both sub-Saharan Africa as well as with the coast (Tripolitania).
The most significant milestones in Libya’s history were the introduction of Islam and the Arabization of the country in the middle Ages, and, within the last two generations, national independence, the discovery of petroleum, and the September 1969 revolution that brought Mummar al Qadhafi to power. The era since 1969 has brought many vital changes. The Qadaffi government has made huge efforts to unify Libya’s diverse peoples and created a distinct Libyan state and identity. It has formed new political structures and made unbelievable efforts to diversify the economic development of the country. Though king 1 Idriss Al-Sannusi started the unification of the country through his nationalist Sannusi Sufi sect, he left it to have their own autonomy. Since he came to power through a military coup colonel Qadaffi has made a huge transformation in the Libyan society. It was never a one coherent society, even during this long reign. Since he came to power in 1969 Qadaffi he has given the country a lot of international exposure.
 
Suleiman Egeh: Freelance writer and senior science instructor

Filed Under: Report