The aff has it wrong---it is decoloniality that is the key internal link to African state stability, not “sustainable development”---that is a veil for continued extractivism and military presence in African nations that undermines sovereignty and decks solvency.

Agbanyim and Chikwendu ’23 [Chimezie Stella Agbanyim, Department of History and International Studies Nnamdi Azikiwe University, and Chinyere Phillis Chikwendu, Department of History and International Studies Nnamdi Azikiwe University. “NEO-COLONIALISM AS A FACTOR IN AFRICA’S STATE COLLAPSE SINCE INDEPENDENCE”, 2023, accessed Jul. 24.]//max

Political Instability: Neo-colonialism has also contributed to political instability in many African countries, which in turn has led to state collapse. Many African governments have been propped up by foreign powers that have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo – dominance and exploitation. This has led to corrupt and authoritarian regimes that are more concerned with preserving their own power than with serving the needs of their citizens. In Somalia, for example, foreign intervention has contributed to a fragmented and unstable political landscape. The country has been embroiled in civil war for decades, and foreign powers have often supported rival factions in an attempt to maintain influence in the region.30 This has led to a lack of effective governance and a breakdown of institutions. Western powers have often supported authoritarian regimes in Africa, as long as these regimes are willing to cooperate with their economic interests. This has led to the suppression of democratic movements and the stifling of dissent. The result has been a lack of accountability and transparency in governance, which has contributed to the erosion of state institutions and the breakdown of the rule of law. Perhaps, a good example can be seen in France’s continuous influence on Africa. France has maintained its influence in its former African colonies, even long after they gained independence. This continued influence has been facilitated by several factors, including the maintenance of military bases, economic ties, and cultural influence. France’s military bases in Africa have been used to intervene in political conflicts in African countries, often at the behest of French-friendly governments. This has undermined the sovereignty of African states and contributed to political instability. Cohen31 argued that France’s political approach towards Africa has remained stuck in a pattern heavy on military action in countries like Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Chad, and Mali, with little recourse for new foreign policy tools. The approach employed by France has ignored ongoing political and social dynamics in the Sahel, amongst other areas in Africa. It has also kept France from doing enough to discourage the militaries of countries like Chad and Mali from overthrowing their leaders in coups. In a nutshell, France’s political influence on African states has been criticized for promoting a colonial worldview of political domination and for contributing to ethnic conflicts and social unrest which is antithetical to nation-building in Africa. Another example can be seen in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The exploitation of mineral resources by foreign countries like China amongst others, in this country, has contributed to a cycle of political conflict and instability. The DRC is home to some of the world's richest deposits of minerals, including cobalt, copper, and coltan, which are used in the manufacture of electronic devices. The extraction of these minerals has often been carried out by armed groups, who use the proceeds to fund their activities. The involvement of foreign companies in the exploitation of mineral resources has further marginalized local communities and perpetuated the cycle of violence. China’s Sicomines deal secured with DRC is at the forefront of China’s big indirect role in the continued resource curse mineral-driven conflict in the DRC’s Eastern region driven by mineral resource wealth.32 All these have unarguably contributed immensely to Africa’s state collapse. The constant pressure from the West on the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) to maintain a colonial geo-political set up that asserted boundary to new states, some of which cut across pre-existing ethnic group states and kingdoms, has also resulted in political instability and constant inter-boundary dispute in Africa. Moreover, some of the states that emerged were different in sizes with unequal natural resources and economic potentialities. For instance, Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia are very rich in natural resources like gold, crude oil, coal etcetera; while Chad and Niger are not so fortunate. Also, Nigeria and Sudan tends to be larger than Gambia and Togo. Thus, the maintenance of these uneven boundary structures by African states, even at its peril, has further reinstalled the neo-colonial grip of the West on Africa, which will remain a cog in the wheel for an even successful nation-building to take place in the continent. Social and cultural Fragmentation/Marginalization and identity Crisis: Neo-colonialism has led to socio-cultural fragmentations and identity crisis in Africa. The imposition of western values, languages, and education systems has eroded local traditions and indigenous knowledge. This socio-cultural dominance has created a sense of alienation and disconnection amongst African populations, exacerbating social divisions and weakening social cohesion. Certainly, neo-colonialism has also contributed to social marginalization in many African countries, particularly for marginalized groups or communities such as ethnic minorities, etcetera. Foreign powers have often influenced and supported governments that discriminate against certain groups, perpetuating inequalities and exacerbating social tensions. More often than not, the leaders of such governments in Africa are enticed by material gains from foreign influences, at the peril of the citizens or group. Good examples can be drawn from Zimbabwe and South Africa. In Zimbabwe, the discrimination against the country's white minority, as well as the Ndebele ethnic group has fueled social unrest and undermined the legitimacy of the government.33 In South Africa, the legacy of apartheid has contributed to ongoing inequality and poverty, fueling social unrest and undermining the country's stability.34 Neo-colonialism has perpetuated social inequality in Africa, by entrenching the power of elites who benefit from the economic and political structures created by neo-colonialism. The neo-colonial model of development has favoured the interests of multinational corporations and foreign investors over the needs of local communities. This has resulted in the displacement of people from their lands and the destruction of the environment. The concentration of wealth in the hands of a few has also led to a widening social gap between the rich and poor, exacerbating social tensions and fueling conflicts. Under such auspices, no meaningful development can take place in Africa. There have been several social upheavals and evictions as a result of the colonial geopolitical structure that imposed boundaries to new governments, some of which straddle pre-existing ethnic group states and kingdoms. For example, the Bakongo group is split into the borders of Angola, the Belgian Congo, and the French Congo35 amongst others. Today, some Ewe people reside in Ghana, others in Togo, and also in Benin.36 The Somali group is shared among Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Djibouti amidst the other countries that speak the language.37 One significant result of this has been the ongoing boundary conflicts that have hampered social relations between some of these independent African states, including Ghana and Togo, Somalia and Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda, and Nigeria and Cameroon, among others. Thus, each African nation-state is created by the arbitrariness of these borders. The nature of these boundaries further divides African nation-states made up of people or groups with diverse cultures, traditions, origin and languages. This in itself remains antithetical to the success of nation-building in Africa. The fueling of the religious crisis in Africa by the West has been another neo-colonial tool that has led to state collapse in the continent. Countries like Burkina Faso, Cameron, Mozambique, Chad, Nigeria, DR Congo, Mali, and Libya, have been recorded as African countries with extreme violations of religious freedom caused by Islamic extremism.38 Religion in Africa has been politicized and used by the elites and the West to mobilize support for certain government which is believed would serve the interest of these former colonial powers that be. Religious rivalry culminated in most civil wars in the African continent and the result was quite devastating. More often than not, these conflicts lead to displacement and migration of individuals from Africa which brings about brain drain; the looting and destruction of life, properties/infrastructures which in turn lead to economic down turn; as well as mutual mistrust and suspicion amongst ethnic groups within the diverse nation-states. All these negate the nation-building process.