Egypt News

Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi

North Africa has been facing a new source of strife since last Thursday, when the Egyptian national soccer team lost its World Cup bid to rival Algeria 1-0

Egyptians rioted outside the Algerian embassy in Cairo, and riots broke out in Sudan, where the match was held, and in Cairo.

A total of 32 police officers and 21 Egyptian fans were reportedly injured at the match, and the Algerian team’s bus was pelted with stones. 

Since Thursday, the tensions have escalated as the governments of both countries have made incendiary statements, and Egypt withdrew its ambassador from Algiers.

At the request of the Arab league, an international leader has stepped in to defuse the strife: Muammar el-Qaddafi. The official state news agency of Libya reports that Colonel Qaddafi is uniquely qualified to bridge the rift, given “the status the Leader enjoys with both sides.”

Colonel Qaddafi, known for his bombastic behavior and his iron-handed leadership, may seem like an unlikely choice to fill a peacemaking role. But the selection is rather strategic.

His role as the chair of the African Union has demonstrated his desire to bring the disparate countries of the continent together. He advocates that the African Union become more like the European Union, with one passport and one currency, with both Egypt and Algeria as member states. The current divide between them is a clear obstacle to that goal.

Diplomatic tensions between Egypt and Algeria have escalated as each side accused the other of orchestrating the violent aftermath of the game.

The fervor around soccer, and especially around a possible World Cup berth, has roused nationalist zeal, distracting people from their governments’ shortcomings. Colonel Qaddafi, and by extension of the Arab League and African Union, could by trying to redirect the ardent nationalism into a pan-African, pan-Arab enthusiasm.

Since the initial violent reaction following the game, sensationalist news coverage has dominated the airwaves on both sides. Enraged fans at demonstrations in Cairo have called for Egypt to expel the Algerian ambassador and all other Algerians.

News reports in both countries run stories on numerous killings tied to the riots, and video footage of ransacked businesses have been widely circulated, further inciting passions.

EGYPT NEWS

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