Posted on 01/31/2010 6:18:35 AM PST by La Lydia
ADDIS ABABA - The African Union (AU) agreed on Sunday to consider a Senegalese proposal to resettle Haiti's earthquake homeless and possibly create a state for them in Africa. The idea was first floated by Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade who said the history of Haitians as descendants of African slaves gave them the right to a new life on the continent.
AU chairman Jean Ping told African leaders at its annual summit in Addis Ababa that they would discuss the proposal during the three-day event. The AU had opened an account for Haiti with the African Development Bank, he said.
"It is out of a sense of duty and memory and solidarity that we can further the proposal of Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade to create in Africa the conditions for the return of Haitians who wish to return after the effect of the disaster that ravaged Haiti," Ping said.
Wade said Senegal and other African states should naturalize any Haitians who sought new nationality, and he urged a mass adoption programme across the continent for orphans of the quake, feared to have killed as many as 200,000.
The idea for a new state is reminiscent of the 19th century creation of Liberia by freed U.S. slaves. The West African country is currently recovering from a 1999 civil war and is hoping to benefit from recent oil discoveries off its coast...
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Unfortunately, it could easily become another Zimbabwe.
yes, please. head east, not west.
That is a reasonable concern. But if they were spread out across Africa, less of a risk.
Until Obama starts writing checks......
This makes too much sense to actually happen.
Also - people like Obama who are dead-set on bringing more millions and millions of blacks into the USA will resent this as poaching on their private plantation stock.
Until they find out the Haitians are Christians. Then it will be open season but maybe that is the aim. They are running out of them and need to restock the gaming fields.
Given a 95% muslim Senegalese population it sounds like a potential slaves for Africa program.
I would be very careful about considering taking Senegal up on the offer. Only some 65% of the people have returned since the last round of war and seperatists are stirring the pot again.
If this were to happen as a natural course of things between African nations and Haiti, we should just let it float on through.
Anyone in the USA who is unsatisfied with American life should be allowed to join the Haitians in their new home in Africa, so long as they go ahead and surrender their USA citizenship and accept citizenship in an African country.
But the USA should stay absolutely neutral in the matter; not offering either support or causing any hinderance.
If the USA supports this and assists in any way, it will set a reparations precedent that might be exploited within the United States.
Very decent indeed. This is about the most common sense proposal I have heard from any politician EVER. This would be nation building at its best and real and beneficial “reparations”.
The tiny land area of Haiti simply can not support 9 million whether they are industrious or “come yet” welfare slackers.
The Dominican Replublic east end of the island has done much better than Haiti. I’d say let the west end of the island go to the Dominicans and let them decide how many stay and how many relocate back to Africa.
Very doubtful anything along these lines will actually happen, the big politicians (here and there, like klintoon and Jesse Jackson) make too many billions scamming the shiploads of money we send to Haiti.
give Haiti back to the Carib indians
I'd qualify the latter citing gang and crime problems, but South Floridians can tell you it has not been working out very well.
The DR would just as soon deport all of them. They have had problems over the decades with controlling how many of them cross the border to work in the DR. While some can blend in an assimilate, the others have proven a tremendous stress on an island economy that can't take big hits.
Heck, if they consider a “land for liberals” plan... I will think about donating :)
It will be a perpetual welfare state....paid for by you.
True. Unique idea. I would hope it works out.
I hope it isn’t as fraught with such bitter resentment and hatred as the 1948 UN Partition of Palestine.
Better there than in Miami.
Turning it over to DR and probably even starting up a New Haiti in Africa, is just too much a stretch.
DR certainly does not like having to put up with Haitians. On one biz trip our man in Santo Domingo took us up to the border and the differences were night and day. The Haiti side had zero trees. Their “Haiti” joke is “the Haitians are so dumb because of all the plaintain seeds they eat”.
Who knows, mining could be developed there similar to the now excellent Barrick mine and the big ferros-nickel mine in DR.
I’m sure thier plans will call for funding from the US and plenty of room for skimming.
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