Yes, you read right. African countries are on top of the list of failed states. According to a report by the U.S. Foreign Policy magazine and The Fund For Peace, 10 out of 15 failed states are on the African continent.
Out of the 146 states that were examined, three African countries – Sudan, Congo DR and Ivory Coast – top the list of failed states, in that order. Zimbabwe (5th), Chad and Somalia (6th) closely follow Iraq in the 4th position.
According to OhMyNews:
“The top ranks of the list looks like a parade of African countries on a dishonour roll. Guinea and Liberia (11th), the Central African Republic (13th), Burundi (15th), Sierra Leone (16th), Uganda (21st) Nigeria (22nd), Rwanda (24th), Ethiopia (26th), Malawi (29th), Burkina Faso (30th), Egypt (31st), Kenya (33rd) Cameroon (36th) Angola and Togo (37th), Mauritania (41st) and Niger (44th).”
OhMyNews summarizes the cause of this problem thus:
“It is generally accepted that Africa’s history and her abundant natural resources have contributed substantially to this state of affairs. Many “resource-rich” African countries also suffer from internal contradictions fueled by tribal and religious differences that can easily be exploited by mischief-makers.”
The article concludes:
“Many African countries are poorly governed nations with weak institutions. There is a shortage of qualified professionals to manage their vast resources and shape their economies as the continents brightest brains have migrated to Western Europe and the U.S. Recruitment into the public service in many African countries is usually fraught with favoritism and other considerations that have nothing to do with competence. The result is what we see today — bad governance, corruption and other ills that adversely affect the viability of modern states.”
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