Gabon: Africa Under Increasing Coup Scourge

Barely one month after the Presidential Guards in Niger Republic toppled the democratically elected government of Mohamed Bazoum on July 26, and the intense interests the coup generated across the world, another group of soldiers have struck again in another African country.

This time, it is the oil-rich but impoverished Central African country, Gabon when the Head of the Praetorian Guards charged with the responsibility of protecting the long- serving President Ali Bongo Ondimba, sacked him in a coup and took charge of government  on Wednesday August 30, 2023.

The coupists led by Gen. Brice Clothaire Oligui Nguema said to be a cousin of the ousted president, was among other internal discontent, probably encouraged by the successful coups in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad and recently in Niger. His seizure of power in Gabon seems to have ended the political dynasty of the Bongo family that has held power in the country since 1967 through Omar Bongo.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS ) and the African Union (AU) which are still struggling to find a solution to the Niger impasse now have their hands full amid mounting  confusion over  the spread of the coup virus in the continent.

Apparently, the threat of the use of force to restore constitutional order in Niger by the ECOWAS and the backing it got from AU has not deterred ambitious soldiers from overthrowing largely very unpopular governments across the region.

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There is a myriad of reasons this coup menace has returned  to Africa. The first and perhaps, the most important reason is the failure of democracy to deliver development to the people. Africa is blessed with human and materials resources but the acclaimed  democratic leaders have practically sold out the resources of their countries so cheaply to the West and failed to add value to their economies making most countries in the continent some of the poorest in the world.

The second reason is the manipulation of democratic systems to perpetrate tenure elongation for leaders no matter how unpopular they are. Ali Bongo is a typical example of this bad behaviour.

The ousted Gabonese leader had served out two terms allowed by the constitution but he manipulated the system to give himself another term of seven years. This is very absurd and this assault on the people cannot be tolerated  in a democracy.

This pattern appears to have been normalised in Africa, therefore if the leaders carry democratic coup through rigging election and altering their constitution, the the military coup without any justification, might become a ready  response to democratic  rascality.

According to Livingston Wechie, an expert in International Constitutional Law, the wave of coups across Africa is becoming a new normal particularly in the face of impunitive governmental neglect of both citizenship welfare and the failure of African States to entrench people-centered and genuine democratic values cum institutions.

He said: “The Gabon coup is more of a necessary revolutionary realignment than a coup d’état because it is fully backed by the disenchanted citizens of the country. More of what is playing out is a protestation against economic strangulation and political slavery engineered by Western domination. Nobody supports unconstitutional change of government but such a Constitution must be autochthonous and legitimate if it must be defended.

“There is another round of justified popular uprising within Africa against neocolonialistic, imperialistic and retarded governments particularly those implanted regimes pushing the western agenda against Africa’s development efforts. It is horrendous and contumelious to see dictatorships across Africa installed by the West including France who perpetuate themselves in power almost eternally against the will of the people with such entitlement against all standards of democratic ethos yet the now startled African Union of failed alliances and the regional bodies will see nothing wrong untill a citizen’s revolt.

“It is my view that if Africans for once rise in solidarity to support these liberation efforts currently ongoing in Niger, Gabon, Mali, Burkina Faso etc, it will result in a huge success for our development against this legion of unpatriotic elements in power.”

Wechie said further that: “The coups will continue untill the questions that birth the revolution are addressed across Africa. Is it not a shame that Chad, Cameroon, Rwanda, Madagascar, Equatorial Guinea, Congo DRC and many African States are under regimes that continue to hold the people to ransom, changing constitutions at will to extend they stay and fortify their hold onto power?

“This development is a popular revolution to end the prey of France and their Western allies from eternally exploiting African resources which is their only interest without which France and Europe will collapse because the rise of Africa is the death of Europe. The West is not condemning the Coups because they want Africa to rise but because it further strips their exploitative structures across Africa.

“Curiously, the response to the necessary emergency situation is for the AU and their Co-travelers to ridiculously impress their Western manipulators by imposing ignoble sanctions on these countries with a view to restore democracy as though there was anything close to democracy in place ab initio.

“This is very disappointing and a charade that the AU has become anti Pan African by all  standards. Countries like Rwanda may choose to sack all the Generals and Cameroon can go ahead to reshuffle their Defence institutions in response, while others follow suit, the situation will continue to exacerbate and snowball into more States like a moving train untill Africans takes back their destiny particularly this digital generation.

“The warning signs and red flags are up and question of deep seated corruption, lack of democratic values, economic freedom concerns, liberation from Western exploitation of our resources, perpetual and unpopular regimes will continue to burn like fire in this to drive of growing consciousness untill we get it right. “

A public intellectual, Dr. Katch Ononuju while reacting to the scourge of coups said, “the coups are good for Africa as 400 years of dealing with the West has been disastrous for African  countries”.

While it is difficult to conclude that the spate of coups in Africa  can be described  as ‘revolution’ at the moment, the populist disposition  of the coup leaders seems to be a movement  for a redefinition  of politics  and leadership  in the continent. Where this will lead the region only time shall tell.