26 December 2008
editorial
Military incursions into power on the African continent once thought to be a receding aberration is now assuming renewed vigour and frequency much like it did after the 1963 coup that overthrew Sylvanus Olympio's government in Togo and then spread across many countries.
This year alone Mauritania, Guinea Bissau and lately Guinea Conakry have all fell under the jackboot of brass button boys. The Guinea Conakry coup occurred a few days ago in the aftermath of the death of Lansana Conte, its strongman who has been in power since 1984 on the death of the former president Sekou Toure.
These coups are occurring in spite of the African Union's decision not to have anything to do anymore with military governments on the continent. But so far once they come to power the AU has been unable to convince them to relinquish power and return to their traditional role. The new rulers in Guinea Conakry calling themselves the National Council for Democracy and Development told the world they has no interest to stay in power. Council's spokesman Captain Mousa Camara has said "we are here to promote the organization of credible and transparent presidential elections by the end of December 2010". But in an earlier broadcast Captain Moussa Camara had pledged to return the country to civil rule in 60 days. This gambit is all too familiar. It is usually a way to buy time for the coup makers to get a foothold on power and get entrenched after which they call everyone's bluff. Yaya Jameh in Gambia and Blaise Compaore in Burkina Faso are a few examples and it is not unlikely that Moussa Camara, if given some elbow room would soon turn himself into a president for life.
Captain Moussa Camara and his group are not without some opposition. Members of the former Lansana Conte government are already ranged against the coup, though issuing statements not in full glare of the public but in some safe confines. They should not be left alone in the struggle to install participatory government in Guinea Conakry. To some extent the situation in Guinea could not have been otherwise as Lansana Conte who ruled the country for 24years ran a country with little or no democratic niceties; he brooked no opposition and did not allow free and untrammeled discussion of events. Elections when they were held had only his name on the ballot as president; any aspirations from any quarters were brusquely and summarily quelled.
Prolonged one man rule soon brought a once promising country that is the largest producer of bauxite and aluminum down to its kneels. Its potential which lied in the large quantity of deposits of gold, diamonds, and iron ores and the capacity to generate electricity to power the whole West Africa sub-region was not realized. Once a food exporter to France, it is now a net importer of food. Stultifying dictatorial rule under Lansana Conte ensured that the prospect of a prosperous Guinea went up in smoke; hope that with his demise a renaissance will usher in a more responsive and representative rule that will chart a course of prosperity is now being threatened with the coup that has supplanted the authority of the government.
The responsibility to make Guinea follow the democratic ethos now gaining ascendancy in the sub- region and the continent should be borne primarily by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) who collectively and severally should bring all their influences to bear on the new pretenders to power in Guinea. Such pressures should be sustained enough to persuade them to fix an early date for elections and democratic rule. Ghana and Nigeria, with their primacy in the institution of democratic tenets should consider it an assignment that should be accomplished. The danger of allowing this coup to gain a foot hold is obvious; it could prompt other dare devil mavericks in uniform to stage similar escapades to destabilize the fledgling democracies now finding their bearings which certainly will amount to turning back the hand of the clock.
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Are the Cameroonians listening? Biya has a similar ambiguos clause which states that upon his demise the speaker of the house shall rule for sixty days after which elections shall be organised and that the speaker shall not be a party to this election. Another recipe for chaos another shame for Africa ready and waiting to happen. Biya is also sid to be very sick and that he collapses every so often.
I get that feeling here in America that the Good Old Boys will still be ruleing from the outside.Remember,Brit/France only wants`to controll,not partnership.Where were Isreal 47/50 years ago?People with out a country. Now they do all the dirty work in the name of peace in Africa and South America.They have the worlds best military killing arsonal from Big George Bush.So,don`t invite the Colonies any place.God Bless Guinea.Oweij Liebo USA.
Nyerere: The worst civilian government is better than the best military government.
This development is a step backwards that nobody should have any illusions about it.
If the situation was so bad why didn't these opportunistic junior soldiers do something about it before ? These are opportunistic rogue retrogressives taking Guinea backwards. The regime should not be allowed to entrech itself in power as it is has already started doing by moving the date of establishing democractic rule from 60 days to now 2 years. They are simply buying time.
Within 24 hours 60 years have turned into 2 years, at that rate they will be declaring themselves rulers for life.
It is for the African Union (and the rest of the international community: the UN somebody) to isolate this madness that is keeping Africa on the political trajectory of one step forward and then 2 two steps backwards.
So far the SADC has failed Zimbabwe, ECOWAS should not failed Guinea too. Guinea has suffered enough. The best way forward is establishment of democratic order not a military junta that are always accountable to nobody and are inherently dictatorial since they gain and retain power without the consent or consultation of the ruled.
Nigeria and Ghana should not do a South Africa (Mbeki) on Guinea. Camara and his goons shouldn't be welcomed to the international fora unless they return Guinea to democratic rule.
Enough of THE SOUPIST STRUCTURE in the territories occupied by soupists---civilian or coupists---in West Africa.
Nyrere? What a joke? A wanna be 'philosopher'? By the way, he is one of the mendacious founding fathers of African 'independence,' founded on THE BIG LIE: THE EXISTENCE OF AFRICAN NATIONS.
DOWN with the icons of a fake 'independence', from Sekou Toure and Nkrumah to Nyrere and Kenyata!
AUTHORIZED AND ISSUED BY THE REFLECTIVE ALL AFRICA ANTI-SOUPIST OPPOSITION IN EXILE AND NOW IN GUINEA, SIERRA LEONE, LIBERIA, SIERRA LEONE, GHANA, IVORY COAST, SENEGAL, AND EXPANDING.
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I'm sorry Mr. Jallow, but I am trying to understand as well what you are talking about, and I cannot find any definition of the word "soupist" in my dictionary at home, nor in an online version. Doing a google search of the word only brings up comments that you yourself have made on this website. Please define it again for us so that we can understand what, if any, point you are trying to make. If your so-called anti-soupism is truly a movement with any teeth, it should be able to be referenced easily via a dictionary or wikipedia. Otherwise, we are all likely to dismiss your comments offhandedly.
As a side, I like to hope for the people of Guinea that Mr. Camara is a better leader than President Conte. I have hope that he is a good person and will caretake the republic and deliver it safely back to the people of Guinea. There are still good people in this world who will use their power for good.
Good riddance to all the tyrant leaders of the world. Maybe Bush and Conte exiting will pave the way for more tyrannical presidents to be replaced. Peace and prosperity to the people of Guinea!
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Active Discussions: The Return of the Military Coup