The curse of black gold: Time to stop unrepentant Dhlakama

peace, with the country poised for a coal and gas-fuelled economic boom.”
The country’s president Armando Emilio Guebuza was expected to hold an inter-denominational service and lay wreathes on the tombs of fallen soldiers during commemorations of the signing of the 1992 Rome peace accord that ended one of Africa’s most brutal civil wars.
It explained that the war between rebels in Renamo against the Frelimo-led government, was fuelled by the Cold War phenomenon and accounted for a million lives. The rebels were backed by white minority governments in neighbouring South Africa and Rhodesia now Zimbabwe. With the war over, Mozambique enjoyed peace and, according to the report, has even become a darling of international donors who contribute over 30 percent of its annual budget.
Twenty years ago, Mozambique was one of the world’s poorest nations, but now it is on track to rank as one of the world’s fastest growing economies.
This is cited by the Africa Progress Panel, an observer group led by former UN secretary general, Kofi Annan. Now things have changed, and Mozambique faces the spectre of a destabilising war.
A war in Mozambique ultimately bodes ill for Sadc, the world’s safest place. Think of the curse of oil — the curse of resources.
A curse is like a landmine on the road it will not affect you until you have reached it and hit it, then you will know it was there lying in wait for you.
A country will never know that they have the oil or resource curse until they discover or there are pointers that they will soon become one of the producers of that resource in the world. Every African country with oil, diamonds is fighting one rebel movement or another. If there is perceived peace check who is controlling the resources of that country and the kind of leadership in that country.
Mozambique is in southern Africa and has known relative peace since the civil war in the 1980s.
Now for a country which is building itself from such a background, it does not need what we are seeing happening there. Exploration has shown that there are large deposits of natural gas, and there is a chance that soon Mozambique will strike the much coveted oil. Because of this I foresee trouble for Mozambique.
Reports coming out of Mozambique are that Afonso Dhlakama the leader of a former rebel movement Renamo who — with the help of apartheid South Africa — fought against the Frelimo government has pulled out of government and has set up a camp in the bush.
The question is why now? Is Dhlakama becoming the latter day Savimbi?
If Dhlakama fought the government in the 1980s before the discovery of gas and most likely oil what will stop him now. Even the issues he is raising today why were they not an issue 10 years ago before the discovery of gas. One can smell a rat in the Mozambican issue.
There is every reason to fear the hand of the Western nations and their corporations behind the scenes.
The West seeks to destabilise any resource rich country by sponsoring rebels or the regime change strategy in the hope of imposing puppet governments.
Examples are endless across the world. This they will do especially in a country that seeks to sideline them in the control of resources but in Libya, Sudan and others the oil curse has caught up with Mozambique.
As Sadc leaders are dealing with the Dhlakama debacle, there is need to strike the snake on its head.
Remove the foreign hand that has come in its play in the Mozambican politics our leaders need to see underlining issues that are at play here and deal with them.
Mozambicans must control their own resources and deal with whoever they want to deal with. It is known that Dhlakama was sponsored by Ian Smith and                      Botha. Who is sponsoring him today?
We cannot allow the foreigners to come here and destabilise the region and lose our resources.
The Sadc leaders must deal with this oil curse decisively. The curse of oil has manifested at our door step.  Having oil or being rich in natural resources now seems to be a curse than blessing.
The fact that Africa is the richest continent in terms of resources is indisputable.
With plus or minus one billion people it is also the largest market. The point that Africa is also a continent riddled by resource based conflicts is also a fact.
The point that most of these conflicts are foreign sponsored is also true. Having the resources from oil to diamonds, gold platinum you name it, Africa has never known peace or stability.
The fact is it is the West that are the largest consumers of most of these resources is undeniable and that they will do anything in their power to control these resources is also true.
Show me a country in the world and Africa in particular and I will show you a divided and fighting nation — a nation with rebels fighting for this course or another. Nigeria has the Delta State rebels and the Boko Haram, Angola had Unita and the peace that is currently there is fragile violence is waiting to erupt.
Sudan fought until the country was divided. DRC  has never known peace since the death of Lumumba.
Even in the days of Lumumba it was just a fragile state. Angola has also been fighting rebels in the oil rich Cabinda region. Libya is the home of anarchy everyone has a gun and is shooting for survival.
Violence was suppressed by the late Gaddafi and once it erupted it cost the man his life. The examples are endless and the characteristics are the same — resource based conflicts.
In the midst of all this mayhem fighting and confusion, there is someone who is benefiting that is the multinational corporate. The BPs, Shells, Chevrons of this world and their countries of origin will be reaping in the midst of the confusion. Having been kept out of Libya by Gaddafi, they waited for an opportunity to strike.
What started off as protests ended up as uprising and now we have a civil war in Libya.
Oil contracts between the rebels — NTC and these Western corporations and nations were signed and dished out left right and centre and now we have a situation where the oil is now being looted uncontrollably by the West.
For a country that is still fighting to be producing oil at 90 percent of the pre-war levels is telling. In the midst of the fighting and with a fragile government which came into power through the bombs of NATO, Libyan oil is being looted. The question is will the Libyans enjoy free electricity, education, oil grants in their accounts in the post Gadaffi Libya.
Will the Libyans have control of their oil? Why is it that every Africa country which is rich in resources and having oil in particular is never at peace?
Meanwhile, suggestions that Dhlakama could be eyeing diamonds, operating in an area with diamond exploration, should sit so uncomfortably on the region and in Zimbabwe in particular.
Are we witnessing the coming of “blood diamonds”?
Blood diamonds are diamonds that are used to finance rebel wars and as are not unwelcome on the world market as they sustain anarchy, lawlessness and carnage.
The worry is that when the rebel army decides to engage the Zimbabwe side, as they notoriously did in the past, this is bound to cause trouble for our diamonds. It could be one opening Zimbabwe’s detractors could have been looking for — the chance to label our diamonds as bloody or conflict.
This should not be allowed to happen.
This means Zimbabwean authorities should take an proactive role in this matter. We cannot afford to have our diamonds corridor attacked.
Diamonds are Zimbabwe’s lifeblood and any of the mischief in the manner of Dhlakama is unacceptable.
The region should call time on Dhlakama now.