The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) special envoy, former President Dr Goodluck Jonathan; African Union (AU) High Representative for Silencing the Guns, Dr Mohammed ibn Chambers; and the Netherlands have called for an end to incessant coups in Africa.
They stated this during the Second Annual Retreat for Special Envoys and High Officials representing Regional Economic Communities (RECs) on Constitutional Transitions and Unconstitutional Changes of Governments, organised by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) in collaboration with ECOWAS.
Jonathan said the theme of this year’s retreat is timely given the pace of rising insecurity, mounting social tension, the number of constitutional transitions and unconstitutional changes of governments that the region is facing.
He however urged leaders to always ensure inclusivity in governance.
“Two days ago, there was the inaugural Lomé Peace and Security Forum which focused on responses to unconstitutional changes of governments, ongoing political transitions, democracy and good governance in Africa.
“This morning, another dialogue on the same topic is starting in Accra, Ghana. These dialogues and workshops demonstrate the importance Africans attach to the imperative of resolving the issues and challenges relating to the strengthening of democratic governance on the continent.
“What we are expecting from this retreat are concrete and actionable recommendations to respond in a sustainable and inclusive manner to these complex situations.
“The issue of inclusivity is not new for us in the ECOWAS region. We started to think about it in 2019 when we explored ways of improving the convergence principle mentioned in the Protocol on democracy and good governance.
“I have always said that there is a strong connection between democracy and development, hence the need to deepen democracy, make it more inclusive and strengthen the institutions of governance, towards building a stable and prosperous society,” Jonathan said.
On his part, Netherlands Ambassador to Nigeria, Amb Williams Wouter Plomp, said African countries are facing a rise in unconstitutional government transition without constitution reforms.
“We want inclusion. ECOWAS and others must devise mechanisms to help entrench constitutional government.”
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) representative, Amb Muhammad Yonis, said lack of inclusivity leads to unrest or tribal disagreement.
“Some people are tired of corrupt governments and will prefer military takeover. People who takeover by force should be approached through dialogue and public engagement.
“Copying the colonial masters’ constitution will not work for them. I come from Somalia, we have issues because there was no structure and sometimes, the president changed prime ministers four times in a tenure. Some leaders stay for eight to 20 years.
“We cannot say that the IGAD region is immune to change of unconstitutional government but it is rare,” he said.
Nigeria’s minister of foreign affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, who was represented by the director of African Affairs, Amb Salisu Umar, decried the avoidable crisis of unconstitutional change of government in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger, Babon and others.
“This has to be reversed. These unconstitutional changes are taking place despite things that are supposed to deter the actors. Africa is signatory to treaties, and conventions. But the reason why the continent is still where it is should be interrogated,” he said.
AU High Representative for Silencing the Guns, Dr Mohammed ibn Chambers, said the union is in solidarity with the International IDEA.
“Violation of human rights, violation of African human rights to our resources is often exploited to our disadvantage.
“We must abide by the principle of non indifferentness. We must push forward the agenda of conflict resolution through the African peace architecture. We must ensure the African standby forces work,” he said.
ECOWAS commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, Amb Addel-Fatau Musah, said while West Africa has now become an epicenter of coups, the African Union, ECOWAS and other regional organisations have what it takes to strengthen democracy.
“We need to talk about poverty, exclusive politics. There must be a reason why there is an epidemic of coup. Is it poverty? We are in an era where we have to look at rhe digital advancement.
“There is organised labour but the military is now abandoning its primary role and taking over power. In West Africa, we had 9 coups. Unsuccessful coups have been there. On the day of inauguration, Bazoun faced a coup.
“It is not about bad governance. They talk about insecurity but the environment should be taken into account. We’ve seen that the primary role of the military is to provide security. They accused the civilian president of not doing well in security. But they are the ones that should provide the security. Over 2 million people are displaced in Burkina Faso, over 1 million children are out of school. Today, insecurity is worse in Mali and Niger. To ensure that we have an inclusive transition, the international community has to be patient.”
The secretary-general of International IDEA, Dr Kevin Casas-Zamora, said democracy still hangs on by a thread in many states.
“Often, it survives only thanks to a diverse set of countervailing institutions. These include not just the traditional checks and balances of democratic governance, like parliaments and judges—but also other increasingly important actors like human rights commissioners, independent oversight bodies, electoral authorities, civil society organizations, credible media outlets, and supranational bodies committed to defending democracy. At their best, all these countervailing forces are able to keep executives and other political actors in check, thereby protecting democracy,” he said.
