Recurring coups: Corruption and decay of democracy in Africa
While the continent is still dragging the issues of military seizure of power in the Republic of Niger, another military junta struck in Gabon, leaving the standing of democracy in Africa on shaky grounds. Military coupists consisting army officers struck on Wednesday toppling the democratic government of President Ali Bongo, who has been in power since 2009. Bongo was announced the winner of the presidential election in the Central African country on Saturday, having fulfilled a two-thirds victory at the polls.
The military officers in Gabon announced on Wednesday they had seized power in the African nation, according to a televised address circulating on social media. The announcement came minutes after Gabon’s election body announced incumbent President Ali Bongo had won a third term, extending his family’s half-century rule over the oil-rich Central African Country of 2.3 million. If successful, the coup would represent the 10th in west and central Africa since 2017.
Explaining their actions, Gabonese army officers under the aegis of the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions on Wednesday morning announced on national television why they are taking over power from President Ali Bongo in the Country. The soldiers highlighted serious institutional, political, economic and social crises as factors responsible for the coup that they tagged, ‘necessary’ for the progress of the West African country.
In a nationwide address rendered in French but translated to English by AFP, the junta said, “Our beautiful country, Gabon, has always been a haven of peace. Today, the country is going through a serious institutional, political, economic and social crisis.
“We are therefore forced to admit that the organisation of the general elections of August 26, 2023, did not meet the conditions for a transparent, credible and inclusive ballot so much hoped for by the people of Gabon. Added to this is irresponsible and unpredictable governance, resulting in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion, with the risk of leading the country into chaos.
“Today, 30 August 2023, we, the defence and security forces, gathered as the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI) on behalf of the people of Gabon and as guarantors of the institutions’ protection — have decided to defend the peace by putting an end to the current regime. To this end, the general elections of 26 August 2023 and the truncated results are cancelled. The borders are closed until further notice.” The junta resolved that all of the institutions of the country be dissolved including the Federal Government, the Senate, the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court, the Economic, Social and Environmental Council and the Gabonese Elections Centre. They therefore called for calm and serenity from the public, the communities of sister countries settled in Gabon, and the Gabonese diaspora.
Reacting to the development, former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, predicted that there would be more military takeovers in French-speaking West and Central African countries in the near future. Fani-Kayode who in a post on his X page said he was not surprised about the coup, wrote: “BREAKING NEWS: Sadly another coup has taken place in Africa. This time it is in the nation of Gabon where President Ali Bongo (pictured below), who together with his late father Alhaji Bongo, had been in power for the last 53 years has been toppled and removed from office. “It appears that the warning I gave in my last essay, titled, ‘Does Killing Nigerien Babies Bring Glory To Our Name?’ was prophetic. I am not surprised that this has happened and frankly we should expect more coups in the Francophone countries of West and Central Africa for the reasons I stated in that essay. I wonder whether ECOWAS or the African Union will threaten to invade Gabon as well?”
Coup in Africa has been a recurrent phenomenon taking toll, a development that has raised concern among African leaders. In Sudan on April 11, 2019, following mass demonstrations calling for his ouster, President Omar al-Bashir was deposed by the Sudanese Armed Forces. At that time, the army under the command of Ahmed Awad Ibn Auf overthrew the government and National Legislature and proclaimed a three-month state of emergency in the nation. This was followed by a two-year transitional period before an agreement was eventually reached.
In Mali on August 18, 2020, parts of the Malian Armed Forces initiated a mutiny, which was followed by a coup d’état. Several government officials were detained, including President Ibrahim Boubacar Keta, who resigned and dissolved the government. Following the 2012 coup, this was the country’s second coup in less than ten years.
In 2021 on the evening of May 24, 2021, the Malian Army under the command of Vice President Assimi Gota seized President Bah N’daw, Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, and Minister of Defence Souleymane Doucouré. This was the nation’s third coup d’état in 10 years, following the military takeovers in 2012 and 2020, the latter of which occurred just nine months earlier.
In Tunisia on July 25, 2021, the Hichem Mechichi government was overthrown by Tunisian President Kais Saied, who also suspended the Assembly of Representatives of the People and removed the immunity of its members. Described as a self-coup, the action followed a period of political unrest highlighted by a string of anti-Ennahda protests and the breakdown of Tunisia’s healthcare system in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, Alpha Condé, the president of Guinea, was taken prisoner by the military on September 5, 2021. The leader of the special forces announced the dissolution of the government and constitution in a broadcast that was televised on state television by Mamady Doumbouya.
In 2021, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Sudanese military staged a coup against the country’s government on October 25, 2021. Five top government officials, at least, were initially detained.
On January 23, 2022, Burkina Faso experienced a coup d’état. On January 24, the military made a television announcement that President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré had been removed from office.
On September 30, 2022, a coup d’état removed Interim President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba from Burkina Faso due to his apparent failure to handle the nation’s Islamist insurgency. Just eight months earlier, a coup had brought Damiba to power. Captain Ibrahim Traoré assumed command in an acting capacity.
On July 26, 2023, the presidential guard of the Republic of the Niger detained President Mohamed Bazoum. Shortly after declaring the coup a success, presidential guard commander general Abdourahamane Tchiani assumed control of a new military junta.
The reccurring phenomenon has become a subject of concern to governments across the world. However, for Africa, the concern is beginning to generate pressure among leaders. Giving rationale behind the recurring phenomenon, a former member of the Senate, Shehu Sani, had explained the reason for recurring military takeover of governments in Africa, saying it is because conditions are being created for it. Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja, Sani who frowned at the phenomenon said: “We have seen in the past few years how democracies in the West African sub-region have collapsed. It has happened in Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, and now the Niger Republic. Coup d’etats are internal issues and they do not happen within a day. Conditions are created for the military to take over power. And in West Africa today, there are about five conditions that I have noted to be responsible for.
“First is the destruction of democratic values. Elections are rigged. Many people who call themselves democrats have no respect for the rule of law. And the constitutions are consistently violated. When that is done, the spirit of democracy is killed and the seed for the destruction of democracy is planted.
“Second is economic inequity and inequality. There is so much poverty in the land. And when you have poverty, you have social dislocation and social crisis. By that, an atmosphere of illegal overthrow of government is created and giving justification for people to say democracy is not working because people are suffering, so the military need to take over.”
Sani who was the Deputy Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs in the 8th National Assembly identified the third reason as the issue of insecurity.
“The rise of terror groups in the Sahel – Boko Haram, the ANSARU, ISWAP – has made civilian authorities become dependent on the military for their safety and security. There is so much reliance on them. And that has given them that thinking and the mental redirection that they should be in charge.
“The fourth has to do with the fact that there is no coordinated attempt to save democracy in Africa. You find that whenever there is a coup, there is no coordinated strategy or penalty for coups. And they happen, and continue to happen So the coup in Niger could have been prevented if the democracy was saved.
“Fifth reason: There are issues regarding the election of Niger’s ousted president Mohammed Bazoum which ECOWAS and the African Union closed their eyes to. Look at it this way. In Cote d ‘Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara tinkered with the constitution as president and gave himself a third-term mandate. The ECOWAS and AU never raised an issue with that. The President of the Central African Republic today has tinkered with the constitution and given himself a tenure extension. The same thing has happened in Burundi. The AU and other sub-regional groups don’t raise questions,” he added.
According to him, a situation where democratic governance in member states deteriorates and regional and sub-regional bodies in the continent decide to speak out only when coups happen can always lead to the military takeover of government.
It is reflective with evidence that coups have been found to be successful across countries in the continent with reflections of erosion of loyalty on the part of the people from their democratic government. It is hence, instructive that the panacea to stopping the phenomenon is good governance in the interest of the masses. The prevailing situation of bad govermance ridden with selfish interests of the few elites in power, has only left the citizens of countries in the continent disinterested in democracy, a situation informing many drifting to give military government a try as alternatives. To change the perspective, the only appeal is pulling force of loyalty and support behind democratic system and that can come by good governance of the greatest good for the greatest number.
Hence, it behooves African leaders to turn a new leaf from the selfish corruption ridden tendencies to governance to that of a development and people centric system. The prevailing system of corruption of ruling for selfish interest has only grown to wane democracy, making it more unpopular in the continent.
