D.K. Osei, a retired diplomat, thinks Ghanaians should be worried about the newest incidence of political instability in West Africa after the coup in Guinea.
Political crisis and the threats of extremist elements in most West African countries have led him to conclude that the indicators of instability in the sub-region “are very highly pronounced.”
Aside from the coup in Guinea, there have been two coup attempts in Mali and one in Niger.
“For anybody in the sub-region to think that this sub-region is very stable, we are in serious disillusionment,” Mr. Osei said on The Point of View on Citi TV on Monday.
In the future, he encouraged ECOWAS and the African Union to prioritize steps to avoid unrest.
“We know where the fault lines are and we know what can be done to prevent instability from occurring in a number of these countries. This is the time for the leaders of the subregion and this continent to take initiatives of a preventive nature to improve the political situation in the subregion,” he said.
On Sunday, the military deposed Guinean President Alpha Condé.
Mr. Condé oversaw a constitutional amendment that enabled him to seek for a contentious third term in 2019.
The ECOWAS Chair, President Akufo-Addo, congratulated Mr. Condé on his controversial election victory.
Dr. Abdul-Jalilu Ateka, a political science lecturer, cited failings from regional bodies with respect to Heads-of-States with dictatorial tendencies as contributing to the instability.
He chastised regional organizations for doing little more than denouncing such incidents.
“The other aspect has to do with the failure or the inability of the African Union… to hold governments accountable as far as the term limits are concerned.”
“From the African Charter on Democracy, it states clearly that you cannot amend the constitution so what has the African Union and ECOWAS member states done? That is why I say it is their failure,” Dr. Ateka added.
The coup in Guinea was the fourth in West Africa in the past year, after two military takeovers in Mali and a failed coup in Niger.
As they usually do when similar events occur, the African Union and ECOWAS have denounced the coup and urged for restoration to civilian government.
Read Also: I warned Alpha Condé 2 months ago – D.K. Osei
