Worries As Military Gradually Takes Over West Africa Region
OpenLife Nigeria reports that the latest coup in Niger Republic has opened a fresh debate about a re engineered military transition in West Africa region.
According to Malian sociologist Aly Tounkara, security crises are “fertile ground” for coups, as does the “lack of integrity of leaders.”
Notably, since August 2020, five coups have occurred in three West African countries – Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea.
The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau have weathered attempted overthrows. And in neighbouring Chad, an unconstitutional change of government was led by Lieutenant General Mahamat Idriss Déby after his father’s death in 2021.
The spate of coups questions the effectiveness of democratic transitions in West Africa.
It also strains cooperation between regional governments when it’s most needed to contain the ever-expanding violent extremism threat.
While tipping points are context-specific, coups in West Africa have been analysed against the backdrop of structural deficits in the affected countries. These include mounting socio-economic pressure, poor human development indicators, the youth bulge and failed security sector reform.
Democratic backsliding resulting from governance crises, third-termism and constitutional manipulation play a role.
Geopolitical shifts in alliances and insecurity linked to terrorism and crime have also been considered. This is the case particularly for Mali and Burkina Faso, which experienced two military coups in a few months.
Understanding the interplay of these political, security and socio-economic phenomena is important. They show why military incursions into politics must be stopped, and inform transitional authorities’ decisions during negotiations.
They also shape the actions of regional and multilateral partners trying to promote stability after the transition.
Only recently, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria told African leaders to discourage coups d’état on the continent, especially in the face of challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, insecurity, and climate change.
Tinubu stated this in his address at a high-level event organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on the margins of Fifth Mid-Year African Union (AU) Coordination Meeting in Kenya.
Tinubu, who called on the African leaders to respect democracy, rule of law, and ensure political stability, also urged African military institutions and states to recognise and respect the need for democratic renewal.
The president, in his statement, presented by Ambassador Adamu Ibrahim Lamuwa, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said it was regrettable that West Africa, despite its numerous instruments and mechanisms for promoting democracy and good governance, is leading other regions in the use of unconstitutional means to change governments.
”This ugly trend has only succeeded in threatening the peace, security and stability of the sub-region and by extension the African continent, leaving in its trail poverty, internally-displaced persons and humanitarian crisis. In the same vein, this ugly trend has also led to food shortages and escalated health challenges.
”We therefore must take deliberate steps to address the root causes of unconstitutional changes and coups d’état in Africa. As a continent, we cannot make progress toward achieving the goals and targets of the UN Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, as well as those of AU Agenda 2063 for the “Africa We Want”.
”Between 2020 and now, Africa has witnessed six successful coups d’état and three unsuccessful attempts. This rise in military takeovers and unconstitutional changes in government disrupts our democratic processes and undermine stability on the continent.
”It is for this reason that I call on all African leaders at all levels to make concerted efforts in respecting the tenets of democracy and the rule of law, in order to ensure political stability on the continent,” he said.
In a twist, while Tinubu’s caution and statements were yet to be properly ingrained in the psyche of coup plotters, military Generals struck In Niger Republic early in the week.
From historical perspectives, Niger Republic which has a long history of military coups since its independence from France in 1960, in recent years, has been less politically unstable.
In 2021, President Mohamed Bazoum came to office in the country’s first democratic transfer of power.
But curiously, on Wednesday, there was a coup in the country , ousting and terminating the administration of Bazoum.
What Could Have Made It Happen?
It has remained unclear why there was a revolt but analysts said rising costs of living and perceptions of government incompetence and corruption may have driven the guards’ move.
Reasons For Coups
Political conditions in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso are closely related to each country’s turbulent past and present.
Over the last five years, terrorists are estimated to have gained control of up to 40 percent of Burkina Faso’s territory, leading to 2,500 closed schools and over one million internally displaced persons. Mali’s share of the regional conflict is less severe at the moment, but is nonetheless longer and more complex, dating back to early 2012.
The two countries are now said to be the primary source of violence in their region, locked into a dangerous self-perpetuating instability. Across the sparsely populated, poorly policed Sahel, weak local governance creates gaps for jihadist movements to fill, which further weakens local governance—and lends legitimacy to coup plotters.
Mali , Guinea , Burkina Faso And Niger
1. MALI 40 year-old President Colonel Assimi Goita
2. GUINEA CONAKRY 42 year-old colonel Mamady Doumbouya
3. BURKINA FASO 34-year-old President Captain Ibrahim Traore
4. NIGER 61 year-old Général Salifou Modi
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