Just last Sunday morning, the Guineans woke up during a firefight in the capital “Conakry”. One party was a member of the country’s special forces and the other was a supporter of President Conte.
This is just one of the endless coups in Africa, and it is not expected that it will be the last. As long as many people on this brown continent still applaud the military, and wait for change, reform and prosperity in each coup, until this era is overthrown by another coup.
Whenever the African people think that they have got rid of the experience of coup and military rule in the direction and route of the country, the military will show their tongue full of irony to express their disappointment that the country has not been able to shake off the vortex of instability. This instability is due to the military’s rule of public life. Here, we put forward a series of questions and answers to understand why coups continue to occur in Africa, and coups seem to have become the language of choice for seeking change in this region.
-What is the history of the coup in Africa?
In the 60 years since they got rid of colonialism and fought for independence, a large number of coups have taken place in African countries. According to records, there have been more than 200 coups in Africa in the past few decades, half of which can be called “successful coups.” In the 1960s and 1970s alone, there were more than 100 coups on the African continent, and it is difficult to count the number of failed attempts or conspiracies.
In the early 1990s, there was a trend of stability in Africa, and it began to shift to a model of political pluralism and elections. This is the so-called third wave of democracy.
However, in the 21st century, countries on the African continent have resumed their “favorite habits” and overthrew legitimate democratically elected regimes through a new round of coups.
After President Conte was arrested by special forces, Guinean army personnel were deployed on the streets of the capital Conakry (European News Agency)– Philosophy of the new coup in Africa
As long as you pay attention to contemporary coups, you will find that it is different from past coups in the traditional sense. In the past, ambitions for power, prestige, and even wealth were the main reasons for the military to launch coups. But now, the military often builds itself as a pioneer of reform, a defender of national sovereignty, a guardian of the people and their capabilities, and a national border. Defenders of the country, so that most Africans who seek safety and stability are happy.
Perhaps external factors have played an important role in the new positioning of the African army, which encourages the army to launch coups on grounds that are out of the realities of the people, but only at the level of slogans and shouts.
After the news of Guinea’s coup d’état came out, Guineans looked at the police force during the tense security deployment in the capital (French media)– What is the position of the African Union on the African coup?
The original Organization of African Unity (referred to as “OAU”) was established on the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of member states, but this principle has undergone fundamental changes since the establishment of the African Union in 1999.
Article 30 of the Basic Law of the Alliance, which came into effect in May 2001, stipulates that governments that have come to power in a way that violates the Constitution shall not be accepted to participate in the activities of the Alliance.
At a meeting held in Addis Ababa in 2009, the AU adopted a strict decision regarding another coup on the continent. It considered the coup to be a dangerous political retrogression, a retrogression in the democratic process, and it is also a retreat to peace, security and stability. Threat.
-What prevents the African Union from protecting Africa’s constitutional system?
In order to adapt to the development brought about by some international trends, the African Union established the African Peace and Security Council in 2002. It also stipulates in the relevant protocol that the African Union has the right to intervene to protect the constitutional order in Africa. In the event of a serious threat to a legitimate regime, such as a coup, according to the requirements of the protocol, such intervention can be implemented without the requirement of the state.
However, due to reasons related to the African government, this clause did not reach the percentage of support required to pass it, that is, two-thirds of the total number of members of the Union, thereby prohibiting intervention in coups that undermine the legitimate regime.
-What did the African people get from the coup? How does the government affect them?
Coups usually use the excuses of fighting corruption, nepotism, wasting public funds, reforming the economy, people’s welfare, and establishing security. However, when you see the truth of the matter, you will find that the coup has brought devastating effects to the African people in all fields.
On the one hand, the coup did not make the African continent better. First of all, the economy has not improved, and the promises made in the previous government’s declaration have not been fulfilled. The situation may even deteriorate or become worse.
With the exception of Thomas Sinkara in Burkina Faso in the mid-1980s, no country in African history has prospered because of the rule of a military council.
On the other hand, the militarization of society, the transition to militia organizations, and the consolidation of a culture of violence are the most prominent impact of the coup d’état in creating a cycle of violence and intensifying ethnic conflicts in Africa.
In addition, there is arbitrary proliferation of weapons. International studies have shown that between 2008 and 2011, sub-Saharan Africa completed nearly 30 million weapons transactions, and West Africa alone accounted for a quarter of this number. This reason can fully explain why there is a problem. Controlled rebellion and chaos.
The coup has also caused a sharp rise in youth unemployment. Under such circumstances, the controlling military generals expect to include them in the ranks of mercenaries to serve their own interests.
In addition, it also led to the transformation of military elites into politics to use their positions and social relations to commit corruption, without remembering that anti-corruption was their excuse for launching a coup in the first place.
Due to the existence of the coup, the practice of repression, confiscation of freedom and distortion of democracy has increased, and the holding of formal elections has convinced regional and international observers.
Photos of recent meetings of the African Union (Al Jazeera)– How did the African Union lose in its response to the coup?
Perhaps the most prominent shortcoming of the African Union is that it has failed to contain the chaos of the coup d’état that the people of the continent have generally suffered, nor has it been punished by the military generals who made the coup d’état, and had to deal with them shortly after the coup d’état, thereby acknowledging the coup d’état and making it happen. legalization.
For example, in Egypt, the AU was forced to respond to the coup d’etat under external pressure, and it did the same for the coup d’etat in Mali. If the relevant agreements and mechanisms are not applied, the role of the AU may be just a platform for reading statements and greeting each other.
– So what is the future of the coup in Africa?
There is no doubt that the increase in the rate of coups in Africa is frightening and worrying. Although people hope that the African people and elites will become more mature, the reality reflects a terrible retrogression, and further growth in the weak AU mechanism and the silence of vested interests related to the dictatorship will inevitably lead to more The coup d’état has enabled the arms market to flourish, plundering the resources of the African continent, and sharing these resources in a new wave of competition for Africa, and this type of situation is happening now.
Between the multiplication of crises, constant coups, and the inability of the AU, Africa has exhausted its enormous economic power and potential, but has bred chaos and external ambitions. In addition, it has lost its most precious property, which is the people living on this land. Africa attracts a large number of mafia and warmongers. In order to obtain its resources and wealth, they intervene and plan to overthrow state power, but Africans themselves cannot benefit from these wealth.
In view of the new round of global competition for Africa and the frantic competition for African capabilities, efforts to increase military capabilities to lead coups still exist.
.