In connection with the recent coup that occurred in Niger, Professor Kwesi Aning, the Director of Faculty of Academic Affairs & Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, has emphasized that rampant corruption creates fertile grounds for coups to take place.
According to Prof. Aning, coups do not happen suddenly; they develop over time before the military resorts to seizing power.
Speaking with the media on Monday, July 31, Prof. Aning pointed out that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has protocols and treaties in place to promote democracy, good governance, and conflict prevention among member states.
However, he highlighted that coup-making starts long before military intervention. Corruption, when left unchecked, undermines the delivery of public services, which can lead to instability and discontent among the population.
Prof. Aning also mentioned that coup-making involves manipulating public perception through storytelling and misinformation to gain support for power-grabbing agendas.
Additionally, it includes pushing for constitutional changes that allow governments to extend their tenure beyond the stipulated period, violating democratic principles.
The situation in West Africa, including Niger, has become more complex and widespread, with various nuanced developments contributing to the likelihood of coups.
In response to the coup in Niger, ECOWAS has given the coup leaders one week to return the country to normal or face potential military intervention. The soldiers involved in the coup claimed to have dissolved the constitution, suspended all institutions, and closed the nation’s borders. The President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, has been held by the troops from the presidential guard since the coup announcement.
International leaders, such as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, have expressed their support for President Bazoum and the UN’s willingness to provide full support. President Bazoum is seen as a crucial ally in the fight against Islamist militancy in West Africa.
It is worth noting that neighboring countries, Mali and Burkina Faso, have also experienced coups triggered by jihadist uprisings in recent years, leading to strained relations with their former colonial power, France, which also once ruled Niger.