We're still a long way from the Africa we want to be

I have listened and watched with great amusement in recent months as African leaders foamed at the mouth about Nato's military operation in Libya

The Libyan conflict, over whose spilt milk so many tears are being cried, is a classic case in point.

When the Libyan uprising began, Gaddafi did not hesitate to unleash his security forces on the population. When the uprising turned into a full-blown armed rebellion, he became even more brutal.

Just exactly what African solution would have prevented Gaddafi from butchering his people is a great mystery.

The fact is that the only way the mad man of the Maghreb could have been stopped was through force. The African Union's road map was a noble attempt to deal with the crisis but it was too late, and unrealistic. It assumed the person being dealt with was a normal guy who could be reasoned with and who would accept the outcome of a negotiation that would most likely have seen him cede power and accept democracy in his country.

For 42 years Gaddafi had run Libya like the lunatic asylum to which he should long since have been committed. Instead of being shunned by the continent, he was applauded and hailed as a hero in many countries. This was because he mouthed empty and angry rhetoric at the West and - more crucially - lined the pockets of Africa's political leaders and royalty.

Those who did not take him seriously simply laughed at him behind his back but gave him the necessary head-of-state dues when in front of him. No matter how much the opponents of the Nato action shout and scream, we will never get away from the fact that the action was necessary to rid Libya of an evil lunatic.

There will be another Libya some time in the not-too-distant future. The Western powers will march into a country or aid the citizens in removing a despotic government. African leaders and intellectuals will again complain about imperialism. And this will happen until Africa learns to take herself seriously.