18 August 2008
editorial
Lagos — For a continent battling to catch up with the rest of the developed world, the news of yet another coup d'etat in Mauritania, was indeed a bad one.
So bad was it that it did not take the African Union (AU), the umbrella body of the African nations , more than 72 hours to suspend the arid nation from the Union. The coup which has attracted global umbrage and widespread condemnation came barely one year after the same Mauritanian military authorities organised a presidential election that produced the now ousted President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi. Only three year ago, there was a coup in this same country.
This is indeed one coup too many. There is no justification for it and the wrong signal it sends is condemnable. Mauritania has had a history of military putsches, the news of which was received in bad taste by the rest of the world. From all indications, the coups have combined to stunt the growth and development of the nation. Having gained independence from France in 1960 the country has been grappling with the bare fundamentals of a modern society, no thanks to frequent military coups. With a population of just about 3.1 million people, the country imports about 70 per cent of its food requirement.
Unfortunately there are no deliberate plans by the country's leaders to overcome the natural challenges facing their arid nation. It is no surprise that the country remains one of the poorest in the world.
The latest coup can only worsen the economic predicament of the nation. The United States of America, for instance, has suspended her $22 million worth of non-humanitarian aid to the nation. The European Commission has also declared sanctions against not only Mauritania but all Islamic African countries, as a result of the coup.
Nigeria and South Africa, leading members of the AU, have declared their non-recognition of the new junta.
The Mauritanian coup is a sad reminder that Africa is yet struggling to overcome the indiscipline associated with the continent's military forces.
The coup leader, General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, former Head of presidential Guard, mobilized the junta against the president simply because four senior military chiefs (including himself) were sacked.
This undisguised mutiny is absolutely condemnable and unacceptable. At this point in time in Africa's march to development, nothing can justify its military usurpation of power. By the coup, Mauritania has suffered a serious set back in fostering its budding democracy.
The oft-made promise of returning the country to democracy "within a short period of time", which this set of coupists has also mouthed, is as tenuous as it is nonsensical.
The military cannot be trusted, as they do not have reliable credentials of mid-wifing a lasting democratic culture.
Gen. Aziz and his fellow usurpers must return the country to full democracy without delay. They all must take practical steps to ensure that.
That said, the coup should serve as a wake-up call to other African leaders, and indeed all leaders that those entrusted with the mandate of the people must not betray it. They must justify the confidence the people reposed in them by delivering the fruits of good governance. This is sure to serve as a stronger de-motivation to coup makers Leaders who either abuse their mandate or take it for granted, create room for military adventures eager to seize power. Such a temptation must however, be resisted.
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