The regional body, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS ) has not only suspended Guinea but has threatened to impose sanctions on the country because of last Sunday’s military coup.
During an extraordinary virtual summit on the coup, West Africab leaders condemned the coup and demanded the return to constitutional order and Alpha Conde’s immediate release.
While it is understandable that unconstitutional change of governments through military coups have not provided any solution to Africa’s monumental governance problems , but have in fact exacerbated them and are unacceptable in this day and age, , the evils that trigger coups –bad governance, electoral fraud and human rights abuses must equally be unacceptable. . We must have it both ways. Military coups are the last resort when we allow all the above-mentioned abuses of power to fester without any commitment to stop them.
As ECOWAS once again signals its zero-tolerance for military coups, African people would wish that the subregional organization and the African Union ( AU) , which also condemned the coup, would have the same zero-tolerance for endemic corruption, personal illegal enrichment , lawless and unconstitutional rule, human rights abuses, unlawful tinkering with the constitution and insensitivity to the agonies of the poor, which provoke coups. .
For now, it would seem like our African leaders are nothing but hypocrites, who are imbued with the shameful attribute of double standards.
Where were African leaders when President Alpha Conde was raping the Guinean constitution ? Where were they when the overthrown Guinean leader was killing and maiming innocent people because he wanted to overstay in power. Africa will remain backward if we do not get rid of hypocrisy and double standards.
It is also a sad reality that these African leaders also have skeletons in their cupboards. Hardly any one one of them can be exonerated from corruption, human rights abuses and unconstitutional offences. That being the case, how can kleptocrats, human rights abusers and lawless leaders sit in judgement of men who redeemed their perishing country from the same evil deeds ?
It is blatant hypocrisy. and it is a shame.
