A Security Expert, Colonel Festus Aboagye (Rtd), has analyzed the causes of rampant coups in Africa.
He stated that presidents of African countries that are toying with democracy, changing constitutions, entrenching themselves in power, repressing the opposition, and suppressing public participation of popular politics are giving rise to coups in their countries.
Speaking on the GhanaTonight Show on TV3 on Wednesday, August 30, in connection with the coup in Gabon, he said “My line of argument has always been that there are triggers for every event in life including coups. So when those triggers and those structural and proximate factors are present in any country then the likelihood of coups.
“It is not a question of whether it is possible but it is a question of when. So all the signs have been there in the case of Gabon as well as some other African countries that are toying with democracy, changing constitutions, entrenching themselves in power, repressing the opposition, and suppressing the public participation of popular participation in politics.”
Army officers have appeared on national television in Gabon to say they have taken power.
They said they were annulling the results of Saturday’s election, in which President Ali Bongo was declared the winner.
The electoral commission said Mr Bongo had won just under two-thirds of the votes in an election the opposition argued was fraudulent.
His overthrow would end his family’s 53-year hold on power in Gabon.
Gabon is one of Africa’s major oil producers, while nearly 90% of the country is covered by forests.
Twelve soldiers appeared on television early on Wednesday morning, announcing they were cancelling the results of the election and dissolving “all the institutions of the republic”.
They added that the country’s borders had been closed “until further notice”.
If confirmed, this would be the eighth coup in former French colonies in Africa in the past three years.
However, most of the others have been further north, in the Sahel region where an Islamist insurgency has led to rising complaints that the democratically elected governments were failing to protect the civilian populations.
The soldiers said they were from the Committee of Transition and the Restoration of Institutions and represent security and defence forces in the country.
One of the soldiers said on TV channel Gabon 24: “We have decided to defend peace by putting an end to the current regime.”
This, he added, was down to “irresponsible, unpredictable governance resulting in a continuing deterioration in social cohesion that risks leading the country into chaos”.
The sounds of loud gunfire could be heard in the country’s capital, Libreville, following the broadcast.