It is recorded that out of at least 242 successful military coups that have occurred globally since 1950, Africa accounts for the largest number at 106.
By AJLabs
Published On 30 Aug 202330 Aug 2023
Early on Wednesday, a group of Gabonese military officers announced a takeover of power and an annulment of the results of Saturday’s election, which they claim lacked credibility.
The announcement came shortly after the state election body said President Ali Bongo Ondimba had won a third term in office in the disputed elections. it is aalsoon record that out of the 56 countries of Africa, that only less than 10 percent of that number has not experienced military intervention in its politics.
When we were in the university we were taught of military in politics in our early years. However as the years progressed in the same course of study, we started learning anout the Military Industrial Complex and the Tripartheid state and from then, the dictions changed from military in politics to military and politics. The arguement becomes stronger as we were told that the African socio political sphere have always been controlled by the strong and powerful. The warriors and not the glib talkers are the decision makers and the authority figures in that tradional African society. We were told about the great empires and their warrior leaders, and the name Chaka the Zulu continues coming in every twenty words. That particular course ended with the ominous sentence that no matter what happens that the military will always be in Africas politics, either peripherally or in the center.
Now, frighteningly, that doomsday prophesy seem to be coming true.
There has been several successful coups in Africa in recent years. However, all of them have one connecting or common factor; they are ex colonies of the French.
Niger: On July 26, 2023, Niger’s Bazoum was overthrown by the military. This has been the most controversial of these coups, as there seem to be strong french invested interet ib the country. It is obvious that this interet is absolutely economic driven for the benefit of the ex colonial master.
In July 2023, members of Niger’s presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum inside his palace and appeared on national television saying they were seizing power to end the “deteriorating security situation and bad governance”.
Burkina Faso: In January 2022, Burkina Faso’s army removed President Roch Kabore, blaming him for failing to contain violence by Islamist militants. In September of that year, there was a second coup by army Captain Ibrahim Traoré who forcibly deposed Paul Henri-Damiba.
Sudan: In October 2021, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan led a military takeover in Khartoum, dissolving a ruling council in which the army and civilians had shared power and throwing the country’s democratic transition into turmoil.
Guinea: In September 2021, special forces commander Colonel Mamady Doumbouya overthrew President Alpha Conde. A year earlier, Conde had changed the constitution to circumvent limits that would have prevented him from standing for a third term, triggering widespread rioting.
Chad: In April 2021, Chad’s army took power after President Idriss Deby was killed on the battlefield while visiting troops fighting rebels in the north.
Mali: In August 2020, a group of Malian colonels removed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The coup followed anti-government protests over deteriorating security, contested legislative elections and allegations of corruption. Nine months later, a countercoup happened, with Assimi Goita, who was named vice president after the first one, leading the second and becoming head of state.
Gabon
The most recent of these political upheavals is in Gabon. The son of former president Omar Bongo who ruled Gabon from 1967-2009, Ali Bongo has ruled the country since 2009. With 2023 making it 14 years of his presidency and 56 years of the rulership of this country that is not a monarchy by the same family.
This continued control for decades has led to a “deep resentment” of “dynastic-style politics” in West and Central Africa, said Tara O’Connor, director of Africa Risk Consulting.
“This military intervention should really be seen in the context of perhaps the military intervention in the neighbouring Francophone countries, Mali, Burkina Faso and most recently Niger,” she said.
If successful, Gabon’s coup will be the second coup in Africa this year.
Though, the concept of success in this Gaboneese dabercle dont seem to be quite a relevant point as it is said that what occurred is more or less a family hand over. The master mind of this recent coup in that country happens to be a cousin to President Alien Bongo. As the president has been sick and rumored to be living abroad for the past five years, rumors started circulating that the military is restive and possibities of a likely coup in compliment to such occurences in French West Africa ex colonies, started filtering into the airspace as it is obviously that it was his wife of french origin that was running the country for the benefit of the french goernment and its people.
Further, however unverified stories had it that the sick president hurriedly returned to hand over the government to his cousin, as if unknown factors in the government takes it over, there will be hell to pay.
