The recent coup attempt in Sierra Leone has, once again, shown that military incursion in politics in West Africa will linger for some time. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and African Union Commission (AUC) have rightly condemned the political disturbance in Sierra Leone. ECOWAS has also called for the arrest and prosecution of those involved in the coup attempt.
While stressing its zero-tolerance for unconstitutional change of government, ECOWAS reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the quest of the government and the people of Sierra Leone to deepen democracy and good governance by consolidating peace and security, which will foster socio-economic development.
Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, has also stated that the body is monitoring with grave concern the security situation in Sierra Leone arising from the attempted coup. He also commended the government for promptly repelling the rebellion. He assured the government and people of Sierra Leone of AU’s continued commitment to support and strengthen inclusive democracy, stability and nation-building in Sierra Leone.
Gunmen had on November 26 attacked military barracks and a prison in the capital, Freetown, killing at least 20 people, including 13 soldiers. Following the attack, the government declared a nationwide curfew. The authorities had initially tried to downplay the incident as a mere breach of security but later admitted that it was a failed coup with the intention to subvert and overthrow a democratically elected government.
The incident was the second coup attempt in Sierra Leone since the contentious June 2023 presidential election in which President Julius Maada Bio was declared the winner. In August 2023, the government arrested several individuals, including soldiers and civilians, and accused them of planning to stage a coup.
We condemn the coup attempt in Sierra Leone. The resurgence of coups in West Africa is not good for democracy. Military incursion in politics in West Africa shows that enduring democracy is yet to be evolved in the region. Military rule is never a solution to bad governance in Africa. Just as Africa has witnessed bad governance under democratic regimes, it has also not fared any better under military regimes. The rising wave of coups in Africa, particularly in the West African sub-region, is worrisome and must be halted. Presently, Mali, Guinea, Niger and Burkina Faso are under military regimes.
Unfortunately, there are no signs of early return to constitutional order in these four West African countries. These countries are impoverished and do not rank so well in all indices of human development. Military rule is no longer fashionable and should not be tolerated. Although democratic leaders in many African countries have not been exemplary, replacing them with military dictators is not helpful.
The military must be subordinate to democratic authorities in West Africa as it is the case in advanced democracies. Soldiers should be alive to their constitutional duties of protecting their countries against external aggression. Soldiers are never trained for civil governance. Unless the rising trend of military adventurism in politics is quickly checked, it will derail the emerging democratic culture in Africa. Political instability arising from forceful change of government is not good for socio-economic development of the continent.
Any attempt to take over government in the region is condemnable. At the same time, we urge those elected not to take the people for granted. Political office holders should embrace fairness and deliver good governance to the people. Bad governance, shoddy elections and mismanagement of diversity can cause social problems, which might elicit military intervention in politics.
The situation in Sierra Leone has been tense since the disputed re-election of Bio. Apart from the political impasse, the rising cost of living and declining living standards are among factors that may have created the space for some dissidents to attempt to overthrow the democratic government. Having experienced a bitter civil war and other crises that spanned 11 years, the people of Sierra Leone have had enough and should be spared another round of political crisis.
It is high time African countries embraced multi-party democracy and played by the rules. Transparency in governance is the panacea to military takeover of power. Another recipe is free and fair elections. The electoral bodies in the region should be independent and impartial. Let there be a level playing field for all the political actors. For an enduring democracy on the continent, Africa needs strong democratic institutions and not strongmen.