In a bold address at the United Nations General Assembly, Colonel Doumbouya Mamadi, who assumed office as Guinea’s interim president after the 2021 coup, staunchly defended the recent wave of coups in Africa. Colonel Doumbouya asserted that these military takeovers were driven by a desire to rescue nations from the grip of presidents who failed to deliver on their promises.
He emphasised that, beyond mere condemnation, global leaders must delve into the underlying root causes that have prompted such actions across the continent.
“The putschist is not only the person who takes up arms to overthrow a regime,” Colonel Doumbouya declared before the assembly of world leaders. “I want us all to be well aware of the fact that the real putschists, the most numerous, are those who avoid any condemnation—they are those … who cheat to manipulate the text of the constitution in order to stay in power eternally.”
The West and Central African regions have witnessed eight coups since 2020, including recent instances in Niger and Gabon. While these military interventions have garnered mixed reactions, both domestically and internationally, they have raised concerns about the overall stability of the African continent.
Africa, home to a youthful population of at least 1.3 billion, set to double by 2050 and represent a quarter of the global populace, is at a critical juncture. Colonel Doumbouya accused some African leaders of clinging to power through various means, often involving constitutional amendments, at the expense of their citizens’ welfare.
Reflecting on Guinea, he revealed that the 2021 coup, which ousted then-President Alpha Conde, was executed to prevent the nation from descending into complete chaos. Colonel Doumbouya argued that similar circumstances had led to coups in other nations, characterised by unfulfilled promises, public disillusionment, and leaders manipulating constitutions to maintain power, all to the detriment of collective well-being.
Colonel Doumbouya expressed strong resistance to external intervention in Africa’s political challenges, asserting that Africans reject categorizations imposed upon them by foreign powers.
“We Africans are insulted by the boxes, the categories, which sometimes place us under the influence of the Americans, sometimes under that of the British, the French, the Chinese, and the Turks,” Colonel Doumbouya stated emphatically. He added, “Today, the African people are more awake than ever and more than ever determined to take their destiny into their own hands.”
While Colonel Doumbouya defended the coup phenomenon in Guinea and other African nations, questions persist regarding their efficacy in addressing the deep-seated challenges that purportedly prompted these interventions.
In Mali, where military rule has been in place since 2020, the Islamic State group expanded its territorial control significantly in under a year, according to U.N. experts. Similarly, Burkina Faso, which experienced two coups in 2020, witnessed economic growth decelerate from a robust 6.9% in the previous year to 2.5% in 2022.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who leads West Africa’s regional bloc, ECOWAS, asserted that military coups and skewed civilian political arrangements perpetuating injustice were both problematic. He acknowledged the prevailing challenges in parts of Africa and framed the current wave of events as a demand for solutions to persistent problems rather than an endorsement of coups.