Despite causing so many deaths by his stubborn determination to cling to power after losing elections last November, the former President of Ivory Coast should not be denied the justice that he denied so many of his countrymen.
On Monday afternoon, it surfaced that Laurent Gbagbo had been arrested by troops loyal to his rival, Allassane Ouattara.
The fact that his captors did not kill him, despite the fact that outside his bunker he had effectively plunged the country into a civil war is, to say the least, commendable.
What should now happen is that no effort should be spared in ensuring that he is treated with dignity as he is handed to authorities that are competent enough to establish an impartial court to try him.
It is very important that Gbagbo faces the judicial system. In fact, our wish is that, given the scale of crimes against humanity performed not only in his name but also through his direct instructions, Gbagbo will, as a matter of fact, be handed over to the International Criminal Court.
Africa still has a long way to go before incumbents get to appreciate the true reasons behind holding elections.
It would seem like, as Africans, we have a long way to go before incumbent leaders accept the elementary idea that by going for elections, candidates are basically soliciting mandates from the people.
It is up to the people to decide whether the incumbent continues or the torch moves to somebody else.
For African leaders, things seem to work in the opposite.
It is not for people to decide who leads, but rather it is the incumbent who decide what happens.
In Africa incumbent call the shots until such time that they have amassed enough wealth for them to not want to continue in power, which, more often than not, is when they are overthrown, dead or dying.
It is a tragedy that every time an incumbent African leader loses elections, they resort to technicalities to disrespect the people’s wish.
A refusal to hand over power after losing is not a trait unique to Gbagbo. By the way Gbagbo has not been the one to start this fad.
It has happened in Zimbabwe and in Kenya.
In both cases after losing, incumbents refused to leave office and started negotiating extra-judicial forms of Government that basically extended them special dispensations by allowing them to remain in power through Governments of National Unity.
Gbagbo had all the opportunity to retire in dignity as an elder statesman.
He spurned all efforts, including by the many emissaries of the African Union, which guaranteed him safe exit from power, including retirement with all the benefits befitting a former Head of State.
Now he has been arrested and is treated no better than an average criminal that he has always been.
Having arrested Gbagbo, we call on the United Nations, the French and indeed Ouattara himself to spare no effort in helping Ivory Coast back on course through a path of national reconciliation.
While Gbagbo was no doubt a chief stumbling block to national reconciliation. It would be wishful thinking to assume that his arrest necessarily brings Ivory Coast’s problems to an end.
In another matter, we wish to recognize the efforts by the African Union to bring peace to Libya.
The African Union’s initiative through a team of Presidents, led by South Africa’s Jacob Zuma is long overdue when one considers that it is more than a month since Ghaddaffi started showering his people with live ammunition from warship and helicopters.
For the African Union to have taken so long is shameful indeed.
But still not everything is lost.
We hope that when everything is done the people of Libya will for the first time be allowed to choose their own destiny free from murderous tyrants that have been Ghaddaffi and his family.
