The string of coups in sub-Saharan Africa has sparked outrage from leaders across the continent, yet they may partly be to blame.
The limp response when longtime rulers cling to power in disputed elections has eroded the credibility of the ruling elite and may well be emboldening soldiers to usurp control.
West African leaders last year toyed with the idea of having an anti-putsch force to protect incumbents from being deposed.
Residents walk past a torn campaign billboard of ousted Gabon President Ali Bongo on Thursday. Photographer: AFP/Getty Images
But many have turned a blind eye to attempts by their peers to stay in office by having term limits scrapped, or rigging votes.
Gabon’s coup this week may be a case in point.
There was silence when President Ali Bongo sought to extend his family’s 56-year rule by changing the law to bolster his reelection bid, denying entry to foreign observers to oversee the Aug. 26 vote and shutting down the internet, banning protests and imposing a night-time curfew while the count was under way.
The military’s response — after his victory was declared — drew international condemnation, yet within the central African nation, General Brice Oligui Nguema’s junta has been lauded.
Residents of Libreville, the capital, took to the streets to celebrate, just as Guineans did in 2021 when Alpha Conde was overthrown after securing an unconstitutional third term in a disputed election.
The risk of another coup will remain if leaders manipulate the system, and fail to translate their outrage into actions. The regional grouping to which Gabon belongs condemned the putsch — yet its current head, Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera, last month pushed through a referendum to secure an unconstitutional third term.
As the European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell put it: “There are military coup d’etats and there are institutional coup d’etats, which don’t use weapons. If I rig elections to take power, it’s also an irregular way of getting power.” — Yinka Ibukun
